


In Spite Of All The Danger

by LadyLazuli



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Adopted Lapis, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Asexual Lapis, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Autistic Peridot, F/F, Human AU, Nerd Peridot (Steven Universe), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Toxic Relationship, dark themes, don't worry lapidot shippers, pearlapis implied, some jaspis implied, that's the toxic relationship lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2018-12-01 13:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 37
Words: 126,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11487708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLazuli/pseuds/LadyLazuli
Summary: Lapis is the new girl of the school, and she's not very interested in being popular. The only thing that matters is being able to get close to that little nerd... In spite of all the danger.





	1. Blue Hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis' first day

"And please, go and leave your things in the house and immediately go and buy all you need. I don’t want you to walk alone in the street too late"  
"Yes, Mom, I know. I have everything under control" Lapis replied, calling a taxi with her hand  
"I'll call you later to be sure everything’s okay" said her mother "I love you"  
"I love you too, Mom. I'm missing you already"  
"Me too, baby girl. Be careful"  
Lapis hung up and slipped the phone into the pocket of her jeans. Then she put her suitcases up to the cab, gave the taxi driver her address, and relaxed in the seat.  
Lapis Lazuli Diamond was 18, and tomorrow was to be her first day of high school senior year. And her first day living away from her mother. Of course ther was going to be for a relatively short period. Her mother and aunts were the founders of a number of prestigious high schools throughout the country. Lapis' mother, Azura Diamond, had been the principal of one of the schools across the country, but ther year she had decided to move back to her hometown, and become an assistant principal again, along with her sisters. Azura was going to have to stay a little longer in the other city to fix the new director's affairs and all that, but she didn’t want Lapis to miss the first semester of her senior year, so she had decided that the girl could leave to live alone in her new home while she put things in order. Well, say this is very easy. In fact, Lapis had a hard time convincing her mother that she was able to take care of herself for a while. Her mother would have preferred Lapis to live with one of her aunts while she arrived, but in the end the girl won.  
Lapis was very excited. A new city and a new school could mean being a new person. And living alone for a while could be a great adventure. The only thing that made her nervous was to meet her aunts. Azura wasn’t actually her biological mother, the woman had adopted Lapis when she was 9 years old. However, Lapis was Azura's pride. The woman loved her daughter too much. And Lapis loved her mother. But as they had always lived on the other side of the country, she had never had the opportunity to meet her mother's two sisters or her two cousins. All they got from them were Christmas cards or things like that. They were always too busy to visit each other, despite the monetary facilities they had.  
"We're here, miss," the taxi driver said. Lapis thanked him and paid him. She was standing in front of a huge, single-storey white house with modern design, which was clearly new. Her mother had bought it and had it fixed some months ago. What she hadn't told Lapis was that across the street was the sea. This left her frankly surprised... She should only cross street to go to the beach! Wow, her mother was really awesome!  
Lapis smiled, took her suitcases and entered the house.  
__________________________________________________________

The girl spent some time exploring the house, before reminding herself that she had promised her mother that she wouldn’t be alone in the street at night.  
From the moment Lapis knew she would have time to be alone, she had decided to do several things she hadn’t dared to do. Not for fear that her mother would be angry with her, but rather because now everything was like starting from zero.  
The idea of getting a tattoo had been going on for some time. So, as soon as he finished unpacking, she left the house, walked downtown and looked for a tattoo studio, which she had previously searched online. The tattoo was quite simple, but for Lapis it meant a lot: a drop-shaped lapis lazuli, just between the shoulder blades, to cover an old scar from her time in the orphanage. As she lay at the work table, she couldn't help but think that her mother would be more appalled to know that she was half naked in front of a boy rather than the tattoo itself.  
When the tattoo artist finished, and after observing other clients of the place, Lapis decided that one or two perforations would also be made. So in the end, the girl left the place with a tattoo of the gem that gave her name and a nostril piercing.  
She was already beginning to feel like a new Lapis, even feeling everyone around her looking at her. Of course, that could be because nobody knew her. Since she had no interest in making friends yet, she put on her hearphones and prepared to listen to Nirvana while she bought provisions.  
__________________________________________________________

That night, after putting the groceries in place and everything she had bought, Lapis prepare herself to make the change she had really been waiting for. She was a little nervous, but she didn't back down. After playing some music on her beloved turntable and to put an old t-shirt, Lapis was standing in front of the bathroom mirror. Her reflection was that of a girl of medium height, thin, with light brown skin, with beautiful dark blue eyes and long brown hair. She began to comb his hair. She hoped not to make a serious mistake, but this was something she wanted to do alone instead of going to a salon. She had watched many tutorials on youtube, so she didn't feel completely lost. And she had to do it now, before she repented. She took the scissors and started cutting her hair, over her shoulders, a little more than half the current length. She let the locks of hair fall to the sink, and tried to reassure herself by saying that everything was all right. She did'nt want it to be perfect, she needed it to be messy. Something that would match with her personality.  
She left the locks that framed her face a little longer than the rest, and kept cutting here and there until she was happy with the result. She ran her fingers through her hair again and again, feeling that new sensation of having short hair for the first time in her life.  
But it wasn't over. She threw the cutted locks away, and took a bag from the supermarket. She took out a box of blue hair dye, but first she had to lighten her hair a little so that the color was correct. She put on a pair of latex gloves, and set out to begin her work.  
__________________________________________________________

She turned off the hairdryer and concentrated on seeing every detail in the mirror. Her short hair was now dark blue, much like the color of her eyes. This color suited her so well that it seemed to be her natural color. Now she felt completely different. She felt like... herself.  
The shower water had helped ease the pain from the tattoo, but it had also helped to make her feel sleepy. Of course she couldn't go to sleep until she was sure she wasn't going to leave blue spots all over the bed. Besides, she was curious to play with her new hair. She began to comb with her fingers, still feeling the strange sensation that she now had very little hair. She tried to see how to comb her hair in different styles, although deep down she knew she wasn't going to do anything, her hair would stay the way it was when she woke up the next morning.  
Suddenly, her phone began to ring. Lapis took it without haste and answered "Hello?"  
"Hi honey" her mother said on the other side "How are you? Is everything fine?"  
Lapis looked in the mirror at the blue-haired girl staring back at her. She smiled and replied "Everything's excellent, Mom"  
__________________________________________________________

Lapis had the bad habit of always being late everywhere. However, this time she woke up very early, dressed in ripped jeans and a Sex Pistols t-shirt. As she had foreseen, her blue hair stayed the same, messy but looking great. She had breakfast, and went to take the school bus.  
She couldn't help but notice that she was the only one at the bus stop. Great, no one from the school lived near there. Unless they didn't take the bus. At last the vehicle appeared, and Lapis went up, a little nervous.  
"New school?" the driver asked. Lapis nodded "Don't be nervous, everything'll be fine"  
Lapis chose the seat at the back of the bus, and sat down with her backpack on her legs. Her backpack was full of pins and patches of rock bands, and a rainbow flag patch. Maybe she was sending the message slightly wrong, because she wasn't exactly gay. When Lapis liked someone, she didn't look at they gender. She didn't care if that person was a boy or a girl. She cared more about the other's personality. Although good... She admitted to have a predilection for the girls.  
When she got on the bus, it was almost empty, but more and more her new mates were coming up, and she felt that many people were staring at her. Of course it was going to be like this all day. After all, she was the new girl, and one with a look that couldn't be overlooked. In her old school, Lapis was considered one of the most beautiful girls, but she didn't care that title very much.  
At one of the stops a boy and a girl caught Lapis' attention. She was very thin, pale, and had short peach-colored hair. He was chubby and had long brown hair. The couple looked at her, and they went to sit next to her.  
"Hello" the girl said "I didn't see you around here"  
"Yeah, it's my first day" Lapis replied, unable to avoid looking at the girl's baby blue eyes "My name's Lapis Lazuli"  
"Oh, another Crystal Gem!" the boy exclaimed with a giggle  
"Nice to meet you" the girl interrupted, nudging him "I'm Pearl. And this guy is Greg"  
"Nice to meet you too" Lapis replied. "What's that about "Crystal Gems?" "  
Greg giggled, and Pearl rolled her eyes. "That's what they call us at school... my friends and me, you know... We all have gems names"  
"And they all stand out in something" Greg said "They're really a team"  
"I don't know if I can stand out in anything" Lapis replied  
"It's not true" Pearl said "If you want, you can sit with us at lunch, I assure you we're not a fraternity or something, it's just a coincidence."  
"I'll do it, thanks"  
Well, at least she wasn't going to be the silly new girl who was going to sit alone at lunch. Pearl and Greg looked very kind, so she wasn't going to miss her date.  
They got off the bus. Diamond High School was a fairly large one-story, brick-built schoolhouse, whose emblem was a large diamond divided into four smaller, white, blue, yellow, and pink. So many students were coming to school, and many of them looked at Lapis.  
"Hey, I don't think you'll go unnoticed today" Greg said.  
"Nope. I don't think so," Lapis murmured.  
At the front door was standing a tall woman, who occasionally shouted something to some pupil.  
"Universe!" the woman yelled at Greg "What did I tell you about that hair?"  
"I'm sorry" Greg said, passing quickly before he was told anything more.  
"You!" the woman exclaimed, pointing to Lapis "Come here"  
Lapis looked at Pearl. She shrugged and said "I'll see you at lunch"  
"Sure, and thank you" Lapis said. She approached to the tall woman, wondering what the hell she was going to say. Maybe she was going to scold her for her hair, or her piercing... No, it couldn't be that, she wasn't the only one with dyed hair.  
"Lapis Lazuli Diamond?" the woman asked. Lapis couldn't help but notice that she said her name with a certain... Apprehension. Almost hate.  
"Yes, it's me," Lapis replied.  
"Follow me" the woman ordered, and began to walk. Lapis went after her, and that only helped to win more attention. Everyone in the corridors turned to see the new girl walking behind the prefect. And by the way, that woman made Lapis feel very nervous, she could almost say she was afraid of her, but she didn't know why. She just didn't want to have her around.  
After walking several corridors, they reached what appeared to be the principal's office. Oh hell, Lapis wasn't ready yet. The woman knocked on the door, and a voice answered "Go ahead"  
"Miss Diamond, your niece is here" the woman said.  
"Thank you Agatha"  
Lapis nervously entered the office. Behind the desk sat a very stern-looking woman, who looked a lot like her mother, but older, with some silvery locks in her hair, and cold gray eyes.  
"Come in girl, sit down" Ms. Diamond ordered. Lapis obeyed, feeling somewhat intimidated. She must have thought this would happen, so she would have worn formal clothes.  
"So you're Azura's daughter" the principal said.  
"Yes, I'm Lapis Lazuli. Nice to meet you, ma'am"  
"Well, well, Lazuli... Azura has told us wonders about you, so I hope you don't disappoint us. I don't want to hear that you're getting in trouble"  
"I won't, you won't have complaints of my behavior"  
"Well, I hope so. If you need anything, money, advice, or just company, don't hesitate to look for me"  
"Thank you, Ms. Diamond"  
"And if you want, you can call me aunt"  
Lapis smiled a little "Thank you, auntie"  
"You'd better go, you don't want to be late for your first class. Here's the key to your locker"  
Lapis stand up, and Ms. Diamond walked her to the door. "Good luck on your first day. And welcome" dismissed Ms. Diamond, stirring Lapis' hair.  
Lapis stepped out and walked with her eyes on the floor, feeling very relieved. That had worked out very well. She didn't think her aunt Bianca was so kind, but she looked like she would give her a big scold if she got in trouble. Better not to make her angry.  
She saw the key in her hand, looking at the locker number. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to find, or she hoped so. She was so focused on her thoughts that when she turned a corner she couldn't help falling to the floor when someone running hit her.  
"Watch where you're going!" Lapis exclaimed angry, getting up.  
"I'm sorry"  
Lapis went from being upset to feeling a little worried. She was in front of a very short, thin girl with a wild blonde mane, wearing round glasses too big for her face. She was busy picking up her things as fast as she could. But what had caught Lapis' attention was that the girl was crying. She noticed it since she spoke, and now she confirmed it, when she tried to hide her tears. Lapis helped put together a couple of pens and asked "Are you okay?"  
The girl looked at her face for the first time. She smiled a little. Lapis felt... Impressed. That girl had the sweetest face she'd ever seen. Her skin was pale, full of small freckles, and her eyes were a deep green.  
"Yes. Thank you" she said, taking the pens from Lapis' hand, wiping away her tears. She stood up and left.  
Lapis was in shock. What kind of cliché was that?! But damn, that girl was... So cute. She was tender, and very pretty. Oh god, no.  
It took her a few seconds to recover from her hypnosis, and kept looking for her locker, casually in the direction the girl had gone. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw her. Their lockers were together. Lapis thought to run away and come back later, but she stood there. The girl was so small that she was having trouble putting a book in the top of her locker. She stood on tiptoe, but still couldn't reach. Lapis took a deep breath, and moved toward her.  
Without saying anything, she took the book from her and placed it in its place. The little girl looked at her, surprised by the audacity, but said nothing.  
Then she closed the locker and left, looking back a couple of times to see Lapis.  
She didn't know what she was going to do, but she needed to know more about that girl. The only thing that brought her back to reality was the bell sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go :) This is going to be interesting.  
> Let me know if you find any grammatical error. I correct them later.


	2. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis spends time with the Crystal Gems

The first part of the day passed quickly. The teachers spent time talking about theit courses and stuff like that, so it was a pretty boring day.  
The uncomfortable thing of the day had been that she was the new girl, so she was attracting everybody's glances, even the teachers'. And she hated being the center of attention, so she chose not to mention to anyone that she was a Diamonds' little girl.  
Lapis realized she was in a couple of classes with Pearl, so she wasn't alone. That girl liked her very much, although she didn'tt look like the kind of girl she preferred as a friend. She seemed too... Elegant, delicate, tender... Something totally no-Lapis.  
When she arrived at math class, she sat at the back of the classroom. She wanted to pass as discreetly as possible. And she had been bored a lot, 'cause Pearl wasn't in that class. But her heart skipped a beat as she watched the little blond girl come in and sit at the front of the class.  
Lapis had begun to fantasize about getting up and going to talk to her, but she didn't dare. She had to, at least she had to tell her something when she helped her up the book. It must have looked very strange. At last she had been encouraged to go and talk to her, when the teacher arrived. Thus, Lapis had to be content to keep her eyes fixed on the girl's wild blonde mane.  
At the end of the class, Lapis wanted to go after her, but again, she didn't dare. Lapis was never afraid to talk to a girl. What was happening to her?  
She resigned herself that she wasn't going to do it and went to buy her lunch at the cafeteria. It was the first time she'd done that, because her mother had always made her lunch.  
"Ready to meet the Crystal Gems?" Pearl asked, walking next to her with her lunch in her hands.  
"I thought you didn't like that nickname" Lapis said.  
"It's better to resign myself, I think"  
Lapis followed Pearl through the crowd, and they came to a table where two girls were. One of them was small and plump, with very long and messy hair dyed lavender, and brown skin. The other, even though she was sitting, was very tall, dark-skinned and with curly hair. But the funny thing about her was that she had a brown eye and the other blue.  
"Peaaaaaaaarl!" the shorter girl exclaimed, with a mocking laugh "We have just started the year and you're already hunting?"  
Pearl inmediatly blushed, but instead of losing control, she cleared her throat and said "She's Lapis Lazuli. Lapis, they're Garnet and Amethyst"  
"Hey Lapis, Pearl has told us about you all day" Amethyst said  
Lapis looked at Pearl, who immediately sat down and clarified "Obviously Amethyst, I had to tell you about the new girl"  
Lapis chuckled and sat down next to Pearl. Garnet drew a slight smile on her face and said "So, the new Crystal Gem?"  
"I still don't understand exactly what's that" Lapis said, somewhat surprised by Garnet's soothing voice.  
"Nothing, just the most amazing girls in the whole school!" Amethyst exclaimed  
"Actually, people know us because... We're a little good at certain things" Pearl clarified  
"A little good?" Amethyst replied "Lapis, wait to see Pearl dancing! She's the ballet queen"  
Ballet? Sure, it sounded like something perfect with Pearl's so refined attitude. Anyway, she commented "Oh, so you're ballerina"  
"That's nothing compared to her ability with the sword" Garnet said.  
"Sword?" Lapis repeated, looking at Pearl in surprise. The pale girl smiled a little and clarified "Fencing. I have won ... some tournaments"  
"Dozens of tournaments!" Amethyst said "And Garnet is the boxing queen! Once she had to fight a huge guy from another state, she sent him to the hospital! "  
"No one calls me 'baby' "Garnet said, drinking her juice  
"Amethyst is a master in the wrestling" Pearl explained "At first she didn't want to try, but now..."  
"I felt insecure because of my size" Amethyst said. "But hey, now everyone's shaking in front of me. Well, except for Jasper"  
"Who's Jasper?" Lapis asked "Is she a Crystal Gem too?"  
"Not exactly. She's my cousin. She likes to believe she's out of this, but she really loves us. She's also on the wrestling team. There was a tournament in which all the boys... Yes, boys! From a rival team refused to fight with her because they were afraid of her "  
"And where's she?"  
"Knowing her, she sure already started to train. She doesn't take a break, just like Gregory with his silly guitar"  
"Oh, that's right! Where's Greg?"  
"As Amethyst said, he sure is rehearsing" Pearl replied, sighing "I heard there was new sound equipment in the music room"  
"How long have you been dating him?"  
Pearl choked on her drink, and Amethyst began to laugh out loud. The only one who kept her composure was Garnet. "Greg and I were never dating!" Pearl answered, coughing  
"Sorry" Lapis apologized "I thought that..."  
"You hurt Pearl's lesbian heart in the deepest!" Amethyst exclaimed, with dramatic voice  
"AMETHYST" Pearl exclaimed, completely blushing  
"Don't worry, Lapis" Garnet said while Amethys laughed. "Many people believe that Pearl and Greg are dating, even after what happened"  
Lapis looked at Pearl. She was so flushed that she seemed like she was going to explode. Pearl looked away and said "Let's leave that story for later"  
"Sorry Pearl" Lapis repeated.  
"Hey, do you play baseball? We wanna form a women's team, but we lack one"  
"I... I've never really played, but I can try"  
"Do you do any other sports?" Garnet asked  
"Swimming"  
"Wow, are you good?" Amethyst asked  
"I guess so"  
In fact, Lapis had a speed record in her old school, and had won several competitions. Her trophies were on a shelf in the living room of her old house, and her mother was proud to tell everyone how good Lapis was. "Amazing!" Amethyst exclaimed " 'Cause the swimming team is terrible. You could make them win this year"  
"Is it a requirement to hang out with you?"  
"Of course not!" Pearl replied immediately "I told you, it's just a coincidence. We really like you"  
Lapis smiled. "Thanks. And I was going to join the swim team any way "  
After that, the talk was diverted to other topics. Amethyst told them her summer anecdotes. Apparently, she had many sisters and cousins, and her family apparently was a beautiful disaster. Lapis looked around, now that they were all too busy with their friends group and weren't paying attention. Her eyes stopped as she caught sight of a wild blonde mane. The girl was sitting alone at the back of the cafeteria, with a lunch tray almost untouched and a laptop, and she didn't look away.  
"Hey" Lapis said, pretending she didn't care. "Who's that blonde girl?"  
The girls turned around. Amethyst smiled and said "Oh, she's Peridot!"  
Peridot. Lapis couldn't help smiling a little at the knowledge of her name at last. "It's also a gem name" she observed.  
"Peridot doesn't like... Interact with people" Garnet said. "She's always alone with her nose buried in her laptop"  
"We try" Amethyst said. "We invite her to hang out or sit here, but the farthest we've achieved is to convinced her to be part of some project team"  
"She's brilliant" Pearl said "She's just a genius"  
"This morning she hit me" Lapis said. "And I think she was crying"  
The Gems looked at each other. Pearl sighed, and Amethyst started to look for someone. "Peridot has a very bad times, you know" Garnet explained  
"What do you mean?" Lapis asked, worried  
"Many people bother her, they insult her, steal her things... And you would expect this to stop there, but at her home isn't different, apparently"  
"Specially that girl. She's a bitch with her" Amethyst said, pointing to another table  
Lapis looked over there. She didn't need to be a genius to realize that it was a popular girls' table. She watched a girl with very short blond hair, with a long nose and who looked like she was... Yeah, a big bitch.  
"And all those idiots that annoy her just for being a little different" Pearl said, frowning "But she's a very sweet girl"  
"She's... My locker neighbor" Lapis murmured, her eyes on the tray so the girls couldn't notice that she was very upset.  
"You could try to talk to her" Amethyst said. "Just... don't feel bad if she doesn't wanna talk to you. You know, it's hard for her to trust someone"  
"Just don't get discouraged" Garnet said. "Maybe something will work between you"  
"What?"  
Garnet winked at her.

* * *

The rest of the day, Lapis' mind was torn between paying attention to what the teachers were saying, and looking for Peridot with her eyes. The first was especially hard in those classes where Peridot was in the same classroom. She wanted to say hello at least, but it was even harder now that she knew Peridot wasn't very sociable. She didn't want to scare her or something. Although surely she had already done it in the morning with the book. Or for having followed her through the corridors all day, though she hadn't even noticed.  
The day was coming to end, and Lapis felt like a coward for the whole affair. Come on! How difficult was to approach and say "Hi, my name is Lapis"? She had done it thousands of times! But she had let her chance pass...  
Or maybe not. She went to her locker to leave her things to go home, when she saw that Peridot was in there. Lapis took a deep breath and stepped forward.  
The words didn't come out of her mouth as she stood right behind Peridot. She grimaced and opened her locker, looking sideways at the blonde. Peridot wasn't even paying attention. Or so she believed it, until she heard her say, "What's your problem?"  
"My problem?" Lapis repeated, very surprised. Peridot looked at her. The girl was a little flushed, it looked like she'd been planning that conversation for a long time. "Do you think I didn't realize you've been stalking me all day?" she said with her nasal voice  
Lapis blushed and couldn't answer. Peridot closed her locker and said "I have enough, I don't need another clod like you bothering me"  
Lapis babbled a few syllables, but Peridot turned and left. What the hell...?!  
"Wow! That was very well! When's the wedding?" Amethyst said, appearing at her side, laughing a little  
"Amethyst, please" Pearl said, approaching.  
Lapis blushed even more. Great, it had been a public spectacle. "Wow, Peri has guts" Amethyst said. "She never talked to anyone like that before"  
"Great, she thinks I'm a bully" growled Lapis, closing her locker  
"Hey, don't worry, why don't you try to sort everything out tomorrow?" Pearl proposed "Tell her you just wanted to be her friend"  
"Well, for me Lapis won't settle for 'being friends', isn't it? Amethyst laughted  
Lapis didn't answer. She couldn't help thinking that Peridot was the cutest girl she had ever seen, even with all that happened. And she won't giving up with her.  
"Hey Lapis, do you wanna go with us to Garnet's house?" Pearl asked  
"C'mon, you can't be a Gem until you've tasted Garnet's moms' food" Amethyst insisted.  
"Well..."  
"C'mon! I'll give you more peri-nformation if you want"  
"Okay, but the information has nothing to do with it"  
"Of course not..."

* * *

In the end, it turned out that going with the girls to Garnet's house had been a great idea. If Lapis had gone home, she would probably have eaten macaroni and cheese or something. But instead, she had gotten a delicious homemade meal made by Ruby and Sapphire, Garnet's moms. And by the way, Garnet was so similar to both, that it was very hard to believe that she wasn't their biological daughter.  
After the meal, the four of them went out into the garden of the house, and sat down on the grass to talk for a while.  
"Your moms are very kind" Lapis said, addressing Garnet. "Thanks for inviting me"  
"It's nothing" Garnet replied "They like to meet my friends, and feel like the 'cool mothers' "  
"They do quite well" Amethyst pointed  
"Did they adopt you when you were a baby or...?" Lapis asked  
"Yes, they are everything I've ever known"  
"I was curious. I'm adopted too"  
"Really?" Pearl said  
"Yes, Mom adopted me when I was 9. I used to live in an orphanage"  
"Oh... just you and your mom?"  
"Yes. Only us"  
"What is she like?" Amethyst asked  
"She's the best. She's very affectionate and understanding, she's like my best friend"  
"Can we meet her one day?"  
"Sure, when she arrives"  
"She's not here?" Garnet asked  
"No... She stayed in our old city, fixing some work things, she didn't want me to miss these first classes, so she sent me here"  
"Wait ... Are you alone? Do you have more family in this place?"  
"Yeah, my aunts"  
"Well, at least you're not completely alone" Pearl observed.  
Lapis nodded. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to tell the girls that she was the Diamonds' niece. At least not yet. She didn't want to be seen in a special way.  
"Well, if one day you need something, you can count on our help" Garnet offered  
"Sure, it would be great if you came to my house one day!" Amethyst exclaimed "It's a disaster! You'll see, you'll love it"  
"Thank you very much. For all this, you're really great"  
Lapis smiled a little at the thought of Amethyst's face when she'll realize that her mother was a Diamond. She was thinking about it, when Sapphire went out to bring them a tray of cookies.  
"Hey, there you are girls" Sapphire said. "Lapis, I hope you like them. It's a secret recipe that Ruby and me made up"  
"Thanks, ma'am" Lapis said.  
"By the way Pearl, maybe we're going to visit you next weekend. We haven't seen Steven for a long time"  
Pearl blushed a little, looked at Lapis sideways before replying "Sure, it will be nice"  
Lapis had the impression that she wasn't the only one keeping secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone finds a grammatical error, please let me know. I'll update every week :3


	3. A Reward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first day of an interesting week

The afternoon with the girls had been very pleasant. Most of the time Lapis preferred to be alone, but actually she enjoyed being with the gems, as she called them in her mind. In fact, it had been so good that it wasn't until she was alone at home that she remembered the problem she had with Peridot. That is, all day long worrying about knowing her so that in the end Peridot thought she was a bully. She thought the obvious solution was to talk to her to clarify that mistake, of course.  
Unfortunately, Peridot didn't come to her locker that morning. Moreover, none of the first classes shared it with her. Pearl tried to cheer her up, though Lapis knew she wouldn't be confortably until she clarified everything.  
A couple of days passed, and Lapis couldn't find the moment to talk to the blonde. Whenever she tried to approach, Peridot found a way to get away from Lapis. Amethyst told her again and again not to worry so much, that she would have a chance, and that she didn't understand Lapis' obsession. In fact, she didn't understand it either. Usually she didn't care what others thought of her, and "begging" someone's friendship was something that had never even crossed her mind. So what happened? She repeated herself over and over again that it couldn't be what she believed... That is, she hardly knew Peridot... In fact they hadn't even presented themselves! Lapis was convinced that love at first sight was silly. She couldn't fall for Peridot...  
So came Thursday. The only thing that could distract her for a while was that morning she went to the tryout for the swim team. Basically she did a flip turn and the coach yelled at her that she was accepted. It wasn't difficult to know why. The other team members were rather slow compared to Lapis. That had encouraged her a little, at least the workouts could help distract her mind from Peridot.  
She was determined to try to think of other things, but when she turned around in the corridor to go to her locker, she found an unacceptable scene. Peridot was crying. Not too much, they seemed to be those tears you can't control when you get emotional. She didn't wear her glasses, but the reason for this was explained by a girl holding them up while Peridot tried to reach them.  
"Please stop!" the girl mocked, making an exaggerated imitation of Peridot's nasal voice  
The blonde didn't respond, only tried to retrieve her glasses. The other girl wasn't much taller than her, but still she managed to keep the glasses out of Peridot's reach.  
But in addition to all this, what Lapis found really wrong was that the students walked around without intervening. Some even laughed at the scene. Especially when the girl pushed Peridot against the lockers.  
Lapis advanced very determinedly, took the girl from the shoulder, took the glasses from her hand and pulled her away from Peridot. The girl glared at her, but Lapis wasn't intimidated. After all, she was quite taller.  
"Mind your own business, newbie" the girl said, speaking in a British accent.  
Lapis didn't answer, just stared at her. The girl also had short blue hair. Perhaps this was due to Peridot's seemingly unwarranted rejection.  
"Go away or you'll regret it" Lapis said. Now, a crowd began to gather around them  
"Seriously?" the girl laughted "Topaz! I think we have a new friend"  
Lapis looked back, only to see a huge girl with a buzz cut before she shoved her hard against the wall, striking her face. The crowd began to chant "Fight! Fight! Fight!"  
"It's not worth getting involved for this freaky," the shorter girl said with a fake sweet smile "You better stay out of my way. You don't want to mess with me"  
"Tell your friend to let me go and let's fix this all at once" Lapis said  
"If that's what you want..."  
The taller girl let go. Lapis was just about to prepare to threw the first blow when someone shouted "It's Yellow Diamond!" Everyone started to run, and in the confusion, the girl punched her in the stomach. "Aquamarine. Nice to meet you" she said, disappearing into the crowd.  
Lapis threw herself against the wall to catch her breath when she saw Peridot sneaking into the janitor's closet. For a moment, they stared each other, then Peridot rushed toward her, and practically dragged Lapis into the closet with her, closing the door. The weak light that came through a small dome on the roof and the musty smell didn't help her so much to recover from the blow.  
"What's going on?" Lapis asked  
"Shhhh shut up" Peridot whispered, putting the lock on and putting her ear against the door. Lapis imitated her. She listened to some slow steps of someone wearing heels, by the sound. Yellow Diamond...? Damn, sure was her Aunt Xanthe... If she found them, Lapis was fucked up.  
They waited until they heard the footsteps leave, and yet they were silent a little longer.  
"I think we're safe" Lapis said.  
"I think so, but ... We should wait a little longer" Peridot murmured, without removing her ear from the door.  
Great, she wanted an opportunity to talk to Peridot and now she was trapped with her in the closet, with pain in her stomach and her cheekbone. That was luck.  
"My name's Lapis Lazuli, by the way" Lapis said  
The blonde didn't answer at once, studying Lapis for a few seconds. "Peridot" she finally said, moving away from the door.  
"Here" Lapis said, giving her her glasses "I'm sorry, I think they're broken"  
Peridot examined them, and Lapis noticed that the glasses were actually joined with taped. "They already have a time like this" Peridot said, putting them on after cleaning them with her shirt. Lapis wondered why she didn't buy new ones, they were so big for her that her eyes were a couple of times bigger, and they slipped through her nose.  
"What was that all about?" Peridot asked, her voice trembling.  
"That idiot was bothering you! What did you want me to do?" Lapis replied  
"Nobody ever does anything" Peridot murmured. Lapis said nothing. Peridot walked away from her as much as the small space allowed, and asked "What do you want from me?"  
"What are you talking about?" Lapis asked  
"You're stalking me. I don't want another bully, I have enough with Aquamarine..."  
"Look, I... I know it must seem very strange how I acted, but I don't want to hurt you, I want us to be friends"  
Obviously Peridot didn't believe that. Lapis sighed. To what extent were they hurting this poor girl who was unable to trust someone new? "Hey, you owe me one. I saved you from Aquamarine" Lapis pointed out.  
"And I saved your butt from Ms. Diamond" Peridot replied.  
"It's not true! You were going to leave me out there if it was not 'cause we saw each other in our eyes. I did it because it was the right thing, but now I'll demand something back"  
"You're joking, Lazuli"  
"No. Hey! My face is marked on that wall, I don't deserve a reward?"  
"What do you want? Money? Do you want me to do your homework?"  
"I want us to have lunch together"  
"What?!"  
"You have a table for yourself, I want to sit with you"  
"Wow, I thought you were a bully, but I was wrong. You're just crazy"  
"I'm gonna sit for a week with you. If you want me to stay away from you then, I'll do it "  
"But... Ahh, okay. But I warn you, I won't talk to you. I usually program at lunchtime, and I don't talk while I program"  
"I don't care, I'll just be with you at the table"  
"If that's what you want..."  
"Now that I think 'bout it, we'll also sit together in class"  
"You what? Listen Lazuli, I really prefer to be alone"  
"It will only be a week, then I disappear from your life"  
"Promise?"  
"Promised. If you want, I won't speak to you again after this week"  
"Okay. I'll go by my computer and see you in the cafeteria, I suppose"  
"I'll be waiting for you" Lapis said "Or better yet... Wait for me and I buy your lunch, as payment for saving me"  
"If you want ..."  
"It will be a pleasure"  
Peridot put her hand on the knob, but before opening the door, she cleared her throat and said "Oh, and... Wow, thanks. For what you did"  
Lapis smiled a little. Peridot blushed and came out almost running.

* * *

"Wow, wow, wow! So you have a date!" Amethyst exclaimed, as she advanced in the line  
"Well, I wouldn't call it a date" Lapis said "We're just going to have lunch together"  
"It's like a date, especially since Peri would never let anyone sit with her"  
"I told you, I practically forced her"  
"Yeeeah... but you're still very excited!"  
"It's not true..."  
"Of course you do! You should just see your face! You don't have that "I don't care a shit" face. You're crazy for her"  
Lapis blushed, mostly because she knew it was true.  
"Well, good luck with your date" Amethyst said "See you later"  
"Hey, do I have a bruise on my face?"  
Amethyst looked at her carefully. "Nah, it won't leave a mark on you"  
She saw Amethyst walk away, and Lapis walked with the two lunch trays to the back table, where Peridot was already with her head buried in her laptop. She could feel many glances above her, but c'mon, she had become accustomed. Maybe now they would point her out as a freaky and leave her alone.  
"Hey" Lapis greeted, putting the trays on the table  
"Hey" the blonde replied, without taking her eyes off the screen "Thanks for lunch"  
"Is nothing"  
As Peridot had warned, she didn't talk. From time to time she took a hand off the keyboard to eat something, but she kept typing. Lapis didn't know much about that, so for her all of that were meaningless symbols, letters and numbers. She didn't try to start a conversation so she wouldn't interrupt Peri, so she ate and looked at the little nerd.  
She liked her very much. She liked her thin lips, her pale skin full of freckles, her beautiful green eyes, and her blond messy hair that rose over her forehead. What happened to everyone in this school? Peridot was beautiful, why was she alone? Why she didn't have a table full of suitors.  
Oh no... And now that she thought about it... What if Peri doesn't like girls? "It's okay" she told herself "We're just going to be friends, that's all"  
But she didn't know how she would do that either, 'cause she knew Peri wouldn't talk to her. Or so she thought. In a moment, she rested her head on her arms crossed on the table and had closed her eyes for a few moments, when Peri commented "You cut your own hair, right?"  
Lapis looked up. Peridot was looking at her. Apparently, she was waiting for something to finish loading before proceeding.  
"Yes" Lapis replied "Why?"  
"It's a bad haircut"  
"Umm... thanks?"  
"Don't get me wrong! I mean it's uneven and asymmetrical, and the angles of the cuts... You didn't worry about using a mirror to help you look back, isn't it?"  
Lapis was surprised. She had been lying on the table for only 20 seconds, Peri had to be very observant.  
"I suppose you're right" Lapis murmured. Peri adjusted her glasses and said "Really bad. But I think it looks nice on you"  
Lapis blushed. Peridot didn't take her eyes off her, she seemed to be studying lock for lock on Lapis' hair. "Can I touch it?" Peridot asked  
"Ummm... Sure" Lapis replied, ducking her head. A shiver ran through her body as Peri's small hand sank into her hair and touched her scalp. Peridot laughs between teeth. That was very strange... A minute ago she wasn't talking to her and now she was stroking her hair.  
"Do you like it?" Lapis asked  
"I like its texture and its color" Peridot said. "But I don't like it to be assimetrical"  
Lapis wasn't sure what to answer, she couldn't even move. Peridot took her hand away and looked at Lapis. Then she blushed and looked away, as if she'd just realized what had happened.  
"The bell is almost ringing" said Peridot, closing her laptop "I'm gonna leave this in my locker and I'll see you in the classroom"  
"It's okay" Lapis replied.  
Peridot slipped away. Lapis followed her with her eyed until she disappeared.

* * *

"I can't believe it! You got Peri to talk to you!" Amethyst exclaimed, as they left the school  
"Yeah, I think so" Lapis replied, smiling  
It hadn't really happened much. Peridot didn't look away from the teacher in classes, so it wasn't that they had much time to talk. But between classroom changes, they had walked together and the blonde didn't talk to much. Well, except when Lapis asked what she had been doing over lunch. At that moment her eyes lit up and she began to give a long explanation about programming, speaking very fast. In fact Lapis didn't understand to much, but she paid close attention. At the end of the day, Lapis asked if she would take the bus to home, but Peridot simply murmured something about going with her mother, and left.  
"There must be something special about you" Garnet said, giving Lapis a pat on the shoulder.  
"I don't know... I just want us to be friends. Maybe I can convince her to sit at the Gems' table"  
"It would be amazing! I hate to see her alone" Amethyst said.  
"Just don't give up" Pearl said. "Maybe you really get her to change her mind"  
At that they heard a car horn, and they saw the already familiar Ruby and Sapphire car, who were always going to pick up Garnet.  
"See you tomorrow, girls" Garnet said.  
"Bye" the others replied  
Lapis smiled to see the girl greeting her moms. She couldn't wait to her mom finally come to the city ...  
The bus came and opened the door, and they were formed in the row to get on. "Are you coming, Amethyst?" Pearl asked  
"No, I have to wait for Jasper and the others" the shorter girl said.  
"It's been four days and you haven't introduced her to me" Lapis said  
"When you know her you'll want to get rid of her"  
They said goodbye. Lapis heard hurried footsteps, and seconds later Greg appeared beside them.  
"Hey Lapis! I heard you sat on Peridot's table" Greg said.  
"Are they talking about it?" Lapis asked  
"Of course! Peridot's a little strange, so everyone says they don't know why a girl like you was with her"  
"A girl like me?"  
"Well, I just repeat what everyone else says... Especially the guys, they say "Why a girl so hot is so interested in being with Peridot?" "  
"What?"  
"I just repeat what they say! I know it's obviously 'cause you're a weirdo"  
Lapis laughed at the joke, but she couldn't help but think that most people in this place firmly believed that Peridot was a freak, and that wasn't good.  
"I think I'll give a lot to talk about this semester" Lapis said "By the way... Do you see anything strange in my hair?"  
"Leaving aside that it's blue... No," Greg replied.  
"It's asymmetrical" Pearl said "But it's not very noticeable, I actually noticed it right now"  
"It's not true" Greg said, looking sideways at Lapis to see if he could notice something "It's perfect"  
"I don't say it's wrong, I just say it's asymmetrical"  
Maybe that question was a mistake, 'cause Pearl and Greg didn't stop arguing all along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lapis is finally getting closer to her little nerd!  
> As always, let me know if there are any mistakes and I'll fix them later.


	4. White Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's know a bit more 'bout the Diamond family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe you guys want to know something about Lapis' backstory... But that will be later. Sky is Blue Pearl in this AU.

Lapis hadn't felt that way in a long time. She didn't notice until much later but that afternoon she had been smiling like a fool, even though her interaction with Peridot had really been very fast. Even so, she was so excited that even when her mom called her that night, she said "You seem very happy, honey"  
The truth is that now Friday would seem eternal, 'cause she didn't share the first two classes with Peri. After that, she would have two hours of swimming training, so she wouldn't see the little blonde until lunchtime.  
At least her impatience was useful. Apparently her unconscious thought that swimming faster would speed up time, 'cause the coach didn't stop to tell her that she was very impressed with her performance. Then the bell rang, but first she had to go to the showers and get dressed, and when she thought that nothing else was going to stop her, she found herself facing aunt Bianca.  
"Ah, Lazuli. I'm glad to meet you" aunt Bianca said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"Were you looking for me, auntie?" Lapis asked, wishing it was a short conversation  
"Yes, I wanted to invite you to my house today. We can have our meals together and talk to know each other a little more, what do you think?"  
"That will be nice"  
"Excellent. Come to my office after classes, then we'll go together"  
"Okay, I'll see you there. And thank you very much"  
"You're welcome, honey. See you later"  
Aunt Bianca left with an elegant step. Lapis pulled out her cell phone and saw that it had been 15 minutes since lunch began. She entered the cafeteria and without even buying lunch, went directly to Peridot's table.  
Of course she was already there. Lapis came almost running. Peridot looked up. Her face lit up with a huge smile as she exclaimed "Lapis!"  
The blue-haired girl didn't expect such a reception. She felt touched and her heart quickened as she sat next to her. "I thought... You weren't gonna come" Peridot said "I wouldn't blame you if..."  
"Hey, remember the deal" Lapis interrupted "A full week"  
"Yes... Where's your lunch?"  
"I'm not hungry"  
The training had left her exhausted, and she hadn't eaten since last night. But she wasn't gonna waste time buying lunch if she can spend it with Peridot. "You can take something of mine if you want" said the blonde, staring at the screen "I almost never finished it"  
"No, I'm fine" Lapis replied. "I think YOU should eat more"  
Peridot didn't speak again for a while. Lapis only saw the speed with which her little fingers wrote the codes, and she was surprised that she didn't stop even once. At the same time, Lapis saw her, or was dedicated to check her social networks, or simply observed the people around her. Well, maybe that wasn't such a good idea, 'cause some athletic guys from a nearby table kept asking her to go and sit with them. So she decided to keep her eyes on Peridot. She was so cute... Only she noticed that? Well, maybe that was a good thing. No one was gonna get in her way.  
"What are you doing?" Peridot asked. Lapis came out of her trance, and realized that the blonde looked at her strangely. "I... What do you mean?" Lapis said  
"Could you stop watching me like this?" Peridot asked  
"I didn't"  
"Yes, you did it. You frighten me a little, Lazuli."  
"Hey, you called me Lapis before. I prefer that"  
"Why?"  
"Lazuli is the one used by my mother when she scolds me"  
Peridot shrugged and turned off the computer.  
"Hey... I know our deal is only for school but... Do you wanna hang out with me? Maybe this weekend?"  
Peridot blushed and looked at Lapis as if waiting for her to tell it was a joke.  
"I can't" Peridot said at last  
Lapis couldn't help feeling a little bad. She tried to hide her disappointment and said "Oh... You already have a plan"  
"Mom won't let me out, and I have some things to do. But thank you anyway"  
Lapis didn't know if Peridot was lying to her, but she didn't insist. She had to remind herself that she didn' have to get her hopes up anyway. She probably didn't like to Peri ...  
No, of course she liked to her! That expression on her face when she saw Lapis coming couldn't be false.  
"Okay... But if you change your mind... You can call me" Lapis said, now ready to insist "Lend me your cell phone and I'll give you my number. Take mine, save yours"  
Peridot looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds, but eventually gave in and handed her her phone. Lapis wrote her number, and promised herself that she was going to send a message to Peridot over the weekend, even if she didn't reply. Before giving back her cell phone to the blonde, she saw that the wallpaper from that TV show...  
"Do you like Camp Pining Hearts?" Lapis asked  
At that, Peridot turned so quickly toward her that Lapis feared that her neck would have been injured. "Do you see it too?" Peridot asked  
"Yeah! I love it" Lapis replied.  
"Hey, you agree that Percy and Pierre would be the best couple in the camp?"

* * *

From having mentioned CPH, the conversation had become very easy. Peridot didn't stop talking about the show for as long as she could. Lapis was also a big fan, but nothing compared to everything Peridot knew about the show. Perhaps, if she was lucky, Peridot would accept that they would see the whole show together. Any excuse was good.  
Peridot wasn't in her last class of the day, but Garnet was. Lapis told her about what she had accomplished with the blonde, and Garnet encouraged her to keep trying. She knew perfectly well that Lapis liked Peridot, so Lapis no longer strove to deny it. At least, not with Garnet. And after the afternoon spent knowing Ruby and Sapphire, Lapis was sure that Garnet knew much about this love thing.  
Well, the first week of school was over. When the bell rang, Lapis went to Aunt Bianca's office, just as she had asked.  
Turning the corner of the corridor where the office was, Lapis slammed her shoulder against another girl's who was going in opposite direction. She was gonna apologize, but she stopped when she saw the girl's contemptuous look. She turned out to be the pretentious blonde, who bothered Peridot according to Amethyst. Neither of them said anything, but they cast glances that clearly meant they're never gonna be friends.  
Lapis went on her way, but she saw her aunt coming out of her office.  
"Ah, Lazuli. Ready to go home?" Aunt Bianca asked  
"Sure"

* * *

Aunt Bianca lived in a pent house of one of the few buildings in that small town. Most of the decor, walls and furnishings were immaculately white. Everything had an avant-garde style, and there was even a pool.  
Bianca Diamond was a single, childless woman, passionate about her job, and she knew how to indulge herself. Lapis was truly impressed, and during the meal (roast beef with salad and pasta) she could almost feel the confidence emanating from her aunt, even though she barely said a few words.  
It wasn't until they finished eating when the woman finally spoke.  
"How was your first week?" aunt Bianca asked, looking at Lapis carefully.  
"Very good" Lapis replied.  
"Were they nice with you?"  
Lapis thought of the little fight she had with Aquamarine, but she nodded anyway.  
"I heard that you came in to the swim team. Your coach says you're very good" the woman said "She says you have the state tournament won"  
"I suppose I'll help the team" Lapis replied, with a nervous smile.  
"Oh, don't be modest darling! Azura has told us more than once that you are an excellent swimmer!"  
Lapis didn't know that answering accurately, so she just smiled. Aunt Bianca poured herself a glass of wine, took a sip and asked "Have you met your Aunt Xanthe?"  
"No, not yet" Lapis said, remembering how she had hidden from her in a closet.  
"Good. I didn't want you to run into her without warning..."  
"Warned about what?"  
Aunt Bianca stood up and walked into the living room. Lapis supposed she should follow her, so she did.  
"Look Lazuli, I don't know if I'm the one to tell you, but you'd better know" aunt Bianca said, looking at her sideways "Xanthe doesn't like you"  
Lapis said nothing. Not surprising after all, her mother's twin sister never asked for her, didn't mention her on the Christmas cards, nor congratulated her on any of her birthdays. The truth was that Lapis didn't know why...  
"And I suppose you wonder why" Aunt Bianca said, as if her reading her mind  
"I guess... For Sky?" Lapis ventured. Her aunt nodded slowly, and looked at a small photo over the fireplace before answering "Xanthe has always had the idea that you came to replace Sky"  
Lapis went to see the photo. It wasn't weird for her to see that little girl with light brown hair and blue eyes.  
Sky Diamond had been Lapis' sister. At least she considered her like that. No, the truth was that Sky had been Azura's daughter. She was born with a very weak immune system, and she was always a very sickly girl, until finally she passed away at 7 years. It was a blow so hard that the girl's father couldn't stand it and left Azura with all that pain.  
Although Lapis didn't know Sky, she felt her as part of her, and on the occasions when she talked about her, she always referred to her as her sister. If Sky was alive, she would be the same age as Lapis.  
"Xanthe may not be very... Kind, at first" Aunt Bianca said, returning Lapis to reality  
"You... Do you think I'm a replacement?" Lapis asked, with a small lump in her throat  
"Oh honey, of course not!" Bianca exclaimed, stroking Lapis' hair. "In fact, I don't know how to thank you for everything you've done for Azura!"  
Lapis looked at her without understanding. Bianca smiled and explained "You gave your mother reasons to smile and move on. Since you came to her life, you gave her happiness back. That wasn't easy... First her little Sky, and only a year later our dear Rosa"  
The mention of Rosa Diamond had always been something gloomy for Lapis. Rosa had been the smallest of the Diamond sisters, and had died in a car accident a year after Sky's death.  
Lapis couldn't imagine her mother's situation in those times. Within a year, she had lost her daughter, her husband, and her younger sister.  
"Those was difficult times for all of us" Bianca said "Especially for Azura, so she decided to stay away from this city that brought her such bitter memories"  
And then you showed up just in time. It was a surprise for Xanthe and me, but Azura was so happy... Happy as she hadn't been in two years. In her calls she always talk about her beloved Lapis Lazuli!"  
Lapis blushed a little. Her aunt Bianca set the glass on the mantelpiece and put her hands on her shoulders, saying "And now I finally know you. And let me tell you, Lazuli, you have the Diamond mark all over your body. Azura wasn't exaggering when she talked about you"  
Lapis blushed even more, and as she didn't know what to answer, she dared to embrace her aunt. Listening to the family matriarch considering to Lapis a Diamond meant a lot to the girl. That is, she had always felt part of the family, but she had her insecurities, like she imagined other guys in her situation.  
"Thanks" she finally said, pulling away from her aunt.  
"Don't thank me, Lazuli" Aunt Bianca said, smiling. Then she walked away from the fireplace, and she and Lapis walked to the balcony. From up there, Lapis could clearly see the ocean, and a ship about to vanish on the horizon.  
"Tell me, did you meet Blaine and Olive?" Aunt Bianca asked  
"No... I mean, maybe we've crossed in classes, but I don't know who they are..." Lapis replied, adjusting her hair behind her ears  
Deep down, Lapis didn't know if she wanted to know about her cousins. That is, if Aunt Xanthe hated her, probably her daughters too. Blaine and Olive... At least now that she knew their names, she would pay attention in case she heard them when they take attendance in class.  
"I wanted to invite them today too but... Xanthe sure wouldn't please it" Aunt Bianca said, more to herself than to Lapis "I hope you get along with them"  
"Yeah... me too," Lapis murmured, but something inside her said it wouldn't be like that  
"Blaine can be a bit difficult, but Olive is a cinnamon roll" aunt Bianca pointed, taking a cigarette from her cigarette case and lighting it  
"Can you give me one?" Lapis asked  
Aunt Bianca looked at her for a few seconds, but at the end she gave her a cigarette and the lighter while saying "Don't tell your mother"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Today's chapter came a little earlier. It's a bit short, but this week I didn't have much time to prepare it. I hope you like it and thanks for reading!  
> Ah, I made a simple fanart of this chapter. Not much, but if you want to see it you can find it [here](https://badpearlasrepressednerd.tumblr.com/post/163253625576/human-lapidot-from-the-fanfic-in-spite-of-all)


	5. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Most of Lapis' thoughts about a lot of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't know how to express a conversation by text messages between two characters. Here is the terrible result.

The truth was that every time Lapis had imagined aunt Bianca, she thought of her as a cold expressionless woman. She was so happy to be wrong. In fact, being with her was very nice, she was a very intelligent woman, and she knew how to make Lapis feel very comfortable in her company. Surely it wouldn't have been a bad idea to live with her, as the original plan had been, but Lapis still preferred to learn to take care of herself anyway. Although it was a great relief to see that she had her aunt in case of any emergency. But now she was sure it was better not to make her angry, 'cause it seemed like she was going to get into a lot of trouble if she did something wrong.  
That afternoon at Aunt Bianca's house was very pleasant, and when Azura called Lapis that night, she was glad to know that they had gotten along very well. And by the way, Lapis dared to let her mother know that her hair had gone from long to a bob cut, but she didn't mention that it was blue, especially when she heard the surprise in her mother's voice upon knowing .  
On Saturday morning, Lapis didn't want to wake up early or any of that. She woke up until 11:00 AM, grabbed her cell phone and saw that she had a message from Pearl.

PEARL: Hey Lapis, do you wanna go to Funland with us?

Pearl had sended it 15 minutes ago. Great, it could make it look like she hadn't heard the phone and not that she had just woken up. She wrote the answer:

LAPIS: Sure. Where do I see you?

Almost immediately a new message from Pearl appeared.

PEARL: See you there at 2:30

Great, she still had time. She didn't want to get out of bed yet, so she closed Pearl's chat, and she remembered something...  
She opened Peridot's chat, and spent a long time looking at the screen before encouraging herself to write:

LAPIS: Hi

She felt herself blushing, and she regretted that she had. Great, she even felt intimidated by a text message. She put her cell phone against her chest and look at the ceiling, until the phone buzzed. Lapis picked it up immediately.

PERIDOT: Hi Lapis

She smiled broadly. Amazing! And now what was she gonna tell her?

LAPIS: How are you?  
PERIDOT: Fine. I was doing my homework

Lapis always imagined Peridot as a little nerd. Maybe she wasn't so wrong.  
LAPIS: Did you change your mind?  
PERIDOT: About what?  
LAPIS: Hang out with me

This time, the response took much longer to appear.

PERIDOT: It's not that I don't want to. I can't.  
Lapis felt himself blushing completely as she wrote:

LAPIS: But would you like to?  
PERIDOT: Yes :3  
Lapis released the phone and covered her face with her hands, wanting to let out a cry. She couldn't stop smiling. She took the phone again and wrote:

LAPIS: Let me know when you can. It would be great to know more about you  
PERIDOT: Why are you so interested in me?  
LAPIS: 'cause you are a very interesting and cool person.  
PERIDOT: If you say so...  
LAPIS: Of course. Btw I hope you're not angry with me for forcing you to have me around

Lapis sighed as she sent that. Many times it was much easier to say what you think in writing, it was time to clarify those little details.

PERIDOT: At first yes, but now I think you're very kind. If you get tired of me you can stop talking to me  
LAPIS: I would never get tired of you  
PERIDOT: Maybe not from me, but from being with me.  
LAPIS: Why do you say that?  
PERIDOT: I don't want you to be disturbed for being with me.  
LAPIS: I don't care what other people think. I really like you  
PERIDOT: Fine. But you can stay away from me whenever you want. I'll understand  
LAPIS: Thanks. But that won't happen  
PERIDOT: Thanks for trying. I must continue doing my homework. Bye Lapis  
LAPIS: Sure. Bye Peri

Peridot didn't answer again. This conversation only served to make Lapis realize how much she wanted to protect Peridot.  
But why? What was happening? She had already said, she always thought the concept of "love at first sight" was stupid. Something that didn't happen in real life. And something that definitely couldn't happen to her. And yet here she was, with her world focused on a little girl of whom she didn't know more than her name. She lived something that had always been impossible for her.  
She lay on the bed for a while, until finally she decided to stand up, take a shower and get dressed to go to Funland. It was a particularly sunny day, so she decided to wear shorts and a black tank top. Then, while she wiped her hair with a towel and looked at herself in the mirror, she think to get a sidecut... Nope. No more surprises for her mom. For now, she shook her blue hair and let it finish drying off just like that, without brushing.  
Then she cleaned the house a little. The last thing she wanted was for her mom to come in and find a mess. She didn't know how much more time was going to happen, and although she had managed very well alone, she really missed her mother.  
While she was taking out the garbage, she couldn't help but think about what Aunt Bianca had said about Aunt Xanthe. She had never seen things from that perspective... Much less had she thought of herself as the replacement for Sky. At least because her mother never made her feel that way. Azura Diamond always made her feel like someone unique and special. But now that she thought about it...  
No, she couldn't afford to doubt her mother. And she wasn't a replacement.

* * *

She left home with some extra time. She had decided not to let Aunt Xanthe's thoughts shatter her mother's nine years of loving care.  
For now, her only concern would be not to get lost on the way. It wouldn't be so difficult to get to Funland, after all it was on the dock. All Lapis had to do was follow the boardwalk.  
Soon she saw the atracctions, and she went on. But before reaching the entrance, she watched Pearl. The girl was sitting on a bench on the boardwalk and she hadn't seen Lapis. As she approached, Lapis took advantage to look the pale girl. She was dressed in a light pink dress and a baby blue hat over her perfectly tidy hair. That was without a doubt the most feminine girl Lapis had ever known. She was too... Oppisite to her  
"Hi" the blue haired girl said, sitting next to Pearl  
"Oh, hi Lapis!" She said, smiling "How are you?"  
"I'm fine. And where are the girls?"  
"They haven't come yet. Amethyst is gonna bring Jasper. She said she wanted to see how long you lasted before you said that you hated her "  
"Is her so bad?"  
"No, she's just... Too Jasper. You'll see."  
"Well, while we wait... Would you like an ice cream?  
"Oh... sure"  
The girls went to buy the ice cream. Lapis guessed Pearl would order a strawberry cone, she just knew. She preferred one of vanilla. Then they returned to sit on the bench.  
"Thank you very much again" Pearl said "You didn't have to do it"  
"It's nothing" Lapis repeated for the umpteenth time  
"How's it going with Peridot?"  
"You know, I think I'm actually accomplishing something. I mean, the first day she was very serious, I suppose she was hating me for forcing her to be with me... But yesterday... Well, I don't say that we're best friends, but she was even happy to see me"  
"You really like her, isn't it?"  
Lapis took her time to respond, but in the end she said "Have you ever know that you wanna be with someone from the first time you see her?"  
Pearl looked at her for a few seconds, but then blushed and looked the ocean.  
"I guess I know what you mean" Pearl said, trying to hide her nervousness, but that was very difficult considering that her white skin was now red.  
Lapis also felt that she was blushing a little and said nothing. Oh no, wrong question.  
"Hello" Garnet said, approaching them. She paused for a moment to see them both and added "Umm... Is something wrong?"  
"No" Lapis and Pearl responded at the same time.  
Garnet looked at them suspiciously, but said nothing more. After a little awkward silence, she commented "So... Amethyst is going to bring Jasper?"  
"Yes" Pearl replied, apparently happy to change the subject "She said she had no other option, something about her parents thought they should spend more time together, or I don't know what"  
"Don't you like her?" Lapis asked to Garnet  
"Let's say we've had our differences" Garnet replied "But that is the past"  
"Oh, there she is..." Pearl murmured  
All this time, Lapis imagined that Jasper would be very similar to Amethyst, but she was surprised to see Amethyst arrive with a girl who is at least 5'9'' tall, muscular, with dark skin with a few vitiligo patches. She had long, messy blond hair, almost white. Lapis couldn't help staring at her. This girl had such exotic beauty that Lapis couldn't take her eyes off her.  
"Hey!" Amethyst exclaimed "I'm sorry for the delay, SOMEBODY didn't get up early today. Lapis, she's Jasper. Jas, this is Lapis"  
Lapis felt Jasper studying her from head to toe before speaking in a deep voice "Nice one"  
"Nice to meet you" Lapis said, without overlooking the comment.  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Amethyst said  
Pearl and Lapis rose to their feet. Damn, Lapis was barely at shoulder height to Jasper.  
"What's the rush?" Jasper commented "Attractions have height restriction, do you forget it?"  
"Very funny" replied Amethyst "C'mon!"  
Jasper smiled at Lapis and started to walk. The girl turned to Pearl, who just shrugged, and went after them.

* * *

It turned out that Jasper wasn't really as bad as Lapis had thought. Well, it was true that she could make rude comments from time to time, and her pick up lines were really bad, but she wasn't bad. Lapis had noticed that she didn't take her eyes off her. It was a bit uncomfortable, but she tried to pretend she didn't notice. Perhaps Peridot had felt this the first day of school, when Lapis followed her everywhere.  
"One last time before we left?" Amethyst said, pointing to the roller coaster  
"Of course, why not?" Garnet said, putting a hand on Amethyst's head.  
"I think I pass" Lapis replied.  
"Well..." Pearl began, but Amethyst interrupted her "You can't deny it. You promised me you would do it"  
"Ugh... Fine..." Pearl said  
"Jas?"  
Jasper looked at Lapis sideways and replied "Nah, I think I had enough for today"  
"We'll be back soon" Amethyst announced, dragging Garnet and Pearl to the roller coaster. Lapis sighed. She hoped Pearl would stay. Had they known that they would leave her with Jasper, she would have gone with them.  
She leaned on the railing of the pier, looking toward the horizon. It was late, and she could see the sun disappearing behind the ocean.  
"So you're new in town?" Jasper asked, standing next to her.  
"Yes, that's right" Lapis replied  
"Why I didn't see you at school? A girl like you doesn't go unnoticed"  
"Well I... I guess you were busy. Amethyst says you're on the wresting team"  
"And the boxing team.You should go see the training.You might even join the team. I promise not to hurt you too much"  
Lapis chuckled. Jasper was like those movie guys who thought they were so cool.  
"I'll think about it" Lapis said, still smiling  
"Great. And tell me, you and Pearl...?"  
"No, no" Lapis said quickly, not letting her finish "Why?"  
"Well, I noticed something 'bout... Connection between you, you know. Well, then if you want we could..."  
"I'm so sorry, and I appreciate it, but I'm not interested in this kind of thing right now. Don't take it bad..."  
Jasper chuckled, shaking her head, and commented "Oh, you're going to date with me, Lapis. I bet you"  
Lapis didn't respond, and had to control her desire to flee. Jasper was frightening her a little. That way of being so direct, besides that she seemed capable of killing her at a stroke. But at the same time she felt attracted... It's logic! The girl was really beautiful.  
She also worried about what she said about her and Pearl. Lapis didn't intend to hurt anyone, especially Pearl. She liked her a lot, and of course she looked very nice and cool and all that, but she didn't want her to think there was anything else.  
Lapis stared at the waves crashing against the rocks, but it was hard knowing she had Jasper's amber eyes on her. Lapis blushed, and Jasper laugh. It was a great relief when the girls got off the roller coaster. Pearl looked a little indisposed, she looked like she was going to vomit at any moment.  
"How was it?" Lapis asked  
"Incredible!" Amethyst exclaimed, laughing to see Pearl "Do you wanna ride again Pearl?'  
"I think it's enough for everyone" Garnet said. "Besides, it's getting late"  
The girls walked towards the exit. Lapis had to hold Pearl a couple of times she was about to stumble. The girl was really dizzy.  
"Sure you can get home alone?" Lapis asked  
"Don't worry" Pearl said "I'll be fine"  
"Where do you live, Lapis?" Amethyst wanted to know  
"At the end of the boardwalk, near the other docks" Lapis said, pointing the direction  
"I don't think any of us is going that way..."  
"I can accompany you if you want" Jasper offered immediately  
"No need, it's close. But thanks" Lapis said, trying to sound as kind as possible. Amethyst's laughter didn't help.  
"Then... See you later" Garnet said. "I'll accompany Pearl to home"  
"I'll see you later! I hope you had a good time Lapis" Pearl said.  
"Yeah. Thanks for inviting me" Lapis replied.  
"Anytime"  
They all said goodbye. Jasper winked at Lapis before turning around, and they all took different ways toward their homes.

* * *

The bad thing about living alone in a big house was that the loneliness feeling was overwhelming. Especially after a day like this, where she had been surrounded by people, and now she was alone and with those negative thoughts that she carried since yesterday.  
She tried not to think about it too much. She put on the short and the T-shirt she used to sleep, and then took her phone. After debating with herself, she decided to send a message to Peridot.

LAPIS: Hi

There was no immediate response. She left the phone, turn on the TV and went to the kitchen for cereal. Maybe she should have invited Pearl to come with her until she recovered. She could have asked who Steven was. That name came to Lapis' ears from time to time, but as no one explained it, she thought it was rude to ask. If only She would have brought Pearl  
Well, maybe it wasn't so bad not to have done it. Jasper might have come. The girl didn't dislike to her, but it was uncomfortable to be around with someone who likes you. Well, she didn't know if Jasper liked her or if she was just joking, but just as well not risk it.  
She checked the phone. Nothing, Peridot didn't even appear online. She couldn't be asleep, it was 8:00pm.  
Peridot. What was she going to do with Peridot? Everything seemed to go fine, but who knows. She could tell that the blonde was unsure of her friendship. Surely she was afraid that Lapis would hurt her. The truth was that Lapis was terrified for next Thursday, when the deal was over. And if Peridot tell her that the deal was that she wouldn't speak to her again? No, it couldn't be. Come on, everything was fine... And she still had four days to prove to Peridot that she wasn't going to hurt her. What could she do? Peridot was so timid and insecure, and she marked herself as a freak... Lapis had to find a way to let her know that she was special, and that she liked her that way.  
She checked the phone. Nothing, there was no answer.  
For now, her only plan wasn't to let anyone hurt Peri in any way. She had a great desire to kick Aquamarine's butt, but since her little encounter she hadn't seen her or Topaz again. She wished she could stay that way, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she found her bothering Peridot. Lapis didn't mind facing her aunts' scolding in exchange for putting that dwarf in her place.  
Unfortunately she wasn't the only person who made Peri had a bad time. Okay, she was the one who attacked her physically, but there were many more at school who pointed to the blonde and murmured things. Try as she might, Lapis couldn't see why. Peri was shy and somewhat distracted, that was all. It was no reason for her to be marginalized that way.  
At that, her phone rang. It wasn't Peridot, it was an incoming call from her mother.  
"Hello?" Lapis said  
"Hi, honey" her mom cheerfully said "How are you?"  
"Well, today I went out with the girls I told you about"  
"How was it?"  
"Very good. They're really nice"  
"Is something wrong, honey?"  
Damn. Her mother always knew when something was wrong, Lapis couldn't fool her, but even so... "No, everything's fine"  
"You are not fine, honey. Tell me what happened"  
"Mommy... You love me, don't you?"  
"Why do you ask that? I love you so much, honey! You are the most important person to me"  
"I... I don't know, I just wanna ask... Don't worry"  
"Oh Lapis, never doubt that. You are my life"  
"I love you mom. I miss you so much"  
"I miss you too, baby girl. But you'll have to wait for me for a month"  
"A month? But it's too long..."  
"I'm sorry, honey. I'll make it up. You'll see, when I'm through with all this, I'll have a lot more time to be with you"  
"That would be great"  
"Honey, I have to hang up, I expect another call. I love you Lapis. Don't forget it, okay?"  
"Yes. I love you too"  
"Good night, honey"  
"Night, mom"  
Lapis hung up, and checked if there was no answer from Peridot.  
Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I want to announce that now that I'm back in school, updates can take a little time if I'm very busy. If not, wait for the next chapters between Monday and Wednesday :D Thanks


	6. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis realizes 'about some nasty things

Peridot didn't respond to her message at night or the next morning. Apparently, her last connection had been when she answered Lapis that last time.  
The girl didn't send another message, she didn't want to seem too insistent, but she did worry about why Peri was ignoring her like that. Well, maybe it wasn't like that and only her cell phone had broken down. She was making a drama of nothing.  
To distract herself a little, Lapis put on her bathing suit and spent Sunday morning at the beach, swimming in the sea. She and her mother were traveling to the beach once a year, but now living in one was going to be completely cool. Mainly because the atmosphere was very quiet. Her enormous house seemed out of place in this neighborhood, where fishermen and merchants lived mainly, people quite simple and very kind. But it was thanks to this that Lapis was quite comfortable in the neighborhood.  
When she got tired of swimming, she lay on her back on the sand for a while, and began to think that she was adjusting quite well to her new life. Not that she didn't leave things behind. That is, of course she had friends in her old city, but she had never felt part of a group. It was like there were people who liked her, but no one so important as to miss her desperately. In fact, that feeling of being part of a group of friends was something she was just getting acquainted with, thanks to the crystal gems. They had made Lapis really determined to stay there.  
Now everything seemed new, but surely it wasn't going to take much getting used to. Maybe that would happen when her mother arrived. Lapis wished she could interact a little with Aunt Xanthe, to see if the situation with her really would be as problematic as it seemed. Or at least she wouldn’t hide the next time her aunt patrolled the aisles. Oh, come on, she was her mother's twin. She couldn’t be so bad.  
When it was time for lunch, Lapis went to her house and showered and changed into clean clothes, and went to a small cafe to buy something to eat. Once there, she thought she might have called the gems, but she also enjoyed spending some time alone. More or less, ‘cause on one of the tables was a group of boys who kept looking at her. Not like the athletes at school, no. In fact, they seemed very tender, so much so that Lapis found herself smiling at them on occasion, though none of them dared speak to her. Luckily, 'cause she didn't want to hurt anyone by giving a wrong message.  
The rest of the day was nothing special, Lapis had dedicated herself to do homework, prepare her things for school and receive her mother's call at night.  
On Monday on the way to school, she got a big surprise when the bus came to the Pearl and Greg's bus stop and she didn't see either of them there. It was something she could expect from Greg, but Pearl? What little she knew was enough to know she wouldn't be allowed to miss school.  
Besides, it seemed odd that neither had arrived. That is, they always came together and went together, but that one was missing was reason for the other to do the same? Come on, they couldn't blame Lapis for thinking they were a couple. Still, she couldn't help feeling a little worried about them, and if something bad had happened?  
Lapis' concern for Pearl and Greg faded a bit when she reached her locker and saw Peridot, who like last week was trying to put the same book in its place. Lapis walked to her, again took the book from her hands and said "Hi"  
"Oh, hi Lapis" Peridot replied, smiling.  
"You need help with this, don't you?" Lapis commented, putting the book in its place as the last time  
"Last semester I had a locker down, but they played me a bad joke now" Peridot complained. "By the way, this morning I saw the message that you left on Saturday"  
"Oh yeah... Did you have problems with your phone?"  
"No, it's just that Mom..." she didn't finish the sentence, cleared her throat and said "Don't think I didn't wanna answer"  
"Oh no. Thank you for telling me"  
Too many coincidences. Lapis was beginning to take the things Peri said seriously. Apparently her mother wasn't very nice. Then she remembered what Amethyst had said _"I think Peri doesn't have a good time at home"_  
"Your mom... seems to be strict, doesn't she?" Lapis commented as if nothing, opening her locker  
Peridot blushed a little and stammered "No, no! It's not that... It's that sometimes... I'm a bit clumsy and she... She... It's obvious... Sometimes I end up with her patience... But no! She is good"  
Lapis didn't insist, but she thought she had the answer to her question. She continued to take the things she needed from her locker, when a girl approached Peridot. She practically threw a book at her chest, which Peri trapped awkwardly, and said "When will you stop being so stupid?"  
Without saying more, she walked away. Even with her back to her, she identified her as the pretentious blond with whom she had hit Friday. Lapis was about to go after her to say a few things, but Peridot took her arm saying "It's okay, Lapis"  
"No, it's not okay!" Lapis exclaimed "Who the hell thinks to talk to you like this?"  
"Please don't do it, don't say anything, please."  
"But..."  
"Please!"  
Lapis continued to stare at the girl until she turned to another corridor. What the hell was wrong with that bitch?  
"You can't let people treat you like this!" she told to Peridot  
"Forget it, don't do anything" Peridot said, almost begging her "You have to promise me that"  
"Peri ..."  
"Just forget this, Lapis!"  
Peridot looked so desperate that Lapis had no choice but to resign herself. She nodded slightly and closed her locker. "This is the last time she do it" Lapis said "I'll not let anyone treat you badly"  
"Just forget it!" Peridot exclaimed "Besides this will only last until Thursday, you forget it? You promised that you would leave me alone after this!"  
Lapis looked at her for a few seconds, not knowing what to say, but feeling a hard blow. Peridot closed her locker, and said "I have to go to class" before leaving with a quick step.

* * *

Neither Pearl nor Greg were in the first class, and Lapis was now worried about them again. That mixed with how badly she felt about what Peridot had told her. That is, she now confirmed that Peri was only enduring her for those days. It wasn't that she had not seen it coming, but it was that she had really felt that she was accomplishing something ...  
Getting to history class and not seeing Pearl didn't help her. She sat in a place far behind, and the teacher started with the class, saying something about a team project. He said that before explaining the details of the project, he would form teams of 3 people. He was naming 3 students, and they proceeded to sit together.  
It was 15 minutes after they started the class when someone knocked on the door. Turned out to be none other than Pearl and Greg. "I hope you have a good excuse" Mr. Clark scolded.  
Lapis couldn't hear what the guys said, but Greg showed the teacher a role and then the teacher let them in. Pearl sat down next to Lapis, somewhat embarrassed by the delay.  
"What happened?" Lapis asked in a whisper. "Is everything okay?"  
"Yes, it was nothing" Pearl replied "It's just that we had some complications"  
Lapis was going to ask more, but she hear that the teacher mentioned her name "Lapis Lazuli?" Lapis raised her hand. The teacher saw her and said, "Ah, our new student. Let's see, you'll team with... Greg"  
Greg smiled at her and winked. As there was more space where he was, she rose from her place and went to sit with him.  
"Let's see, and..." Mr. Clark murmured, looking at the list "Blaine"  
Lapis looked up quickly. She didn't think there were many girls named Blaine on her course, so she must be her cousin... Oh no. Shit, Lapis saw the blond girl with whom she had been about to discuss that morning rise from her place. She didn't seem too happy to know who her teammates were.  
"So we'll work together!" Greg said, as Blaine sat down, still staring at Lapis "Hey girls..."  
"I hope you don't delay me on this" Blaine said, more to Lapis than to Greg  
"Oh, don't worry, darling. I'll be happy to finish as soon as possible" Lapis replied. She wasn't going to say anything about what had happened in the morning just because she'd promised Peridot, but...

* * *

"You know, I was ready to stop you. You looked like you were going to kill her" Greg scoffed when class ended.  
"She's a fool, don't you think?" Lapis said  
"Yeah, she thinks she can do what she wants 'cause she's Yellow Diamond's daughter. But I guess that's normal, isn't it? I mean, if you go to a school where your mother is the boss, it makes sense that you feel superior"  
Oh man. Lapis had never felt she acted like this, but now that she saw her from here, maybe everyone in her old school thought that about her. Maybe it wasn't a good time to tell Greg that dear Blaine was her cousin.  
"Let's just work from our side and everything will be over soon" Greg said. "C'mon! Today Mr. Universe will take you home in his van!"  
"Do you have a van?"  
"Of course, but something is broken. That's why I don't use it much, but today I had an emergency and..."  
"I'ts true, what happened to you? Why did you come so late?"  
"So Pearl didn't tell you…"  
"No..."  
"Well, it's that someone who worked at home and resigned..."  
"Wait, you and Pearl live together?"  
"Didn't she tell you that?"  
Lapis shook her head. Greg blushed a little and said "I'm late for my next class. I'm sorry Lapis, I have to go"  
"But..."  
"I suppose you should let Pearl tell you everything. Maybe she don't like me to do it"  
"Well... see you later then"  
"See you later! You won't regret traveling on my space train to the cosmos, baby"

* * *

The math class was a bit uncomfortable. Peridot was there, and they sat side by side, but they ignored each other all the time. Lapis wondered how easy it was for Peridot to do that. One moment was very tender with her and the next she didn't speak to her. Maybe she didn't feel bad about what had happened. She didn't have to either, she had only been sincere. It was Lapis who was making illusions. She didn't even know what she was trying to do.  
When the lunch bell rang, Peridot got up without looking back and left the room. And by the time Lapis went to leave her things to her locker, the blonde was no longer in her's. She was avoiding her again.  
Well, whatever. Lapis entered the cafeteria and joined the line to buy lunch, after Pearl.  
"Hi, Lapis!" Pearl said, smiling  
"What's up?" Lapis reply  
"Are you ok?"  
"Of course... Why?"  
"You look... Kinda sad"  
"It's not true... Wait, actually I'm sad because you didn't tell me that you lived with Greg"  
Pearl blushed at once, trying to hide as she got the lunch. Lapis smiled to see her so nervous. The pale girl cleared her throat and said quietly, "Did he tell you?"  
"I figured it out" Lapis said "You didn't tell me that"  
"No, well... We haven't met for a while... I was going to tell you, of course..."  
"It's okay, just kidding"  
"I'll tell you everything, I promise. But now I guess Peridot is waiting for you"  
"Yeah... I suppose. Do you promise to tell me?"  
"Yes, just... Give me time"  
"All the time you want, Porl"  
"Thank you Lapis. Well, I'll see you later then"  
"Yeah... See you"  
When Pearl left her alone, Lapis wondered why she didn't tell her about wht happened with Peri. Now she would look like a fool if she was going to sit with the gems just like that. She didn't want to disturb Peridot if she didn't want to have her around...  
Well, it was too late to change plans. Lapis took a deep breath and walked slowly to Peridot's table. The blonde was staring at the screen, as usual. There was no sign of seeing Lapis. Not that she expected less. But hey, she was there. Only instead of sitting next to her, like the days gone by, she sat down in front of her, to be able to keep some distance. This way she couldn't see Peri, just the back of her laptop.  
Lapis imitated the blonde in not saying a word. She just stood there, not having the courage to talk about what had happened. But it wasn't that she didn't want to, but she didn't know what to say. Did she have to apologize for trying to defend her? Of course not. And anyway, Peridot would surely claim that she hadn't asked to be defended.  
"Hey, but it's Lapis!" a voice said behind her.  
Lapis turned, and felt herself blushing when she Jasper appeared. Apparently she had just finished her training, 'cause she still wore tight-fitting clothes and her long hair collected in a ponytail. Lapis felt very intimidated by her... That is, Jasper had something that attracted her and frightened her at the same time. Fuck...  
"Oh... Hi, Jasper" Lapis murmured.  
"Hey, water goddess, if you don't have anywhere to sit, you can come with me" Jasper offered.  
"I... Well, it's not that I have no place, I'm sitting here"  
"Seriously? Well, I don't think you have the right company, babe. Can I sit with you?"  
"Well... I don't know, I think... Better on another occasion... If you still want... Don't get me wrong..."  
Far from being offended, Jasper chuckled. As if to see Lapis so nervous was a good thing. "I like the challenges, and I don't think you hard girl facade doesn't work very well with me. Well Lapis, it's ok. On another occasion "  
"Mmm... yeah?"  
Jasper winked and walked away. What the hell was that? She had to ask Amethyst if her cousin always acted like this or only with Lapis. But she didn't understand what was happening... At the same time that she hated the idea of having to deal with Jasper's pick up lines, she also wanted to know something more about her. That was definitely not normal.  
Peridot didn't even show signs of hearing what had happened. Well, as much as it hurt her, she had to accept that the blonde wasn't interested in a friendship. Much less something more. But it was logical... Actually love at first sight doesn't work. It's not real. It's stupid to think that 'cause you like a person she will feel the same for you immediately.  
Anyway, she was going to play this silly game until Thursday. Although Peri didn't speak to her, Lapis would try to do what she could for her before "disappearing from her life," as she had promised. Then she could go on with her life and pretend that this blow to her dignity never happened.  
Lapis concentrated on eating her lunch and as she did so, she could see that from a distance, Blaine wouldn't take her eyes off her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the delay, I had some problems with my laptop. But the chapter is here! I hope you like it, things start to get interesting.


	7. Star Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knowing a little more about each other

Not surprisingly Peridot didn't talk to her for the rest of the day. Lapis was really trying to ignore this and stop feeling bad. But she simply couldn't. She wanted to know if it was her fault or whether it was Peridot's. She would also like to know if what she had said in the message on Saturday had something to do with what happened. _"I don't want you to be disturbed for being with me"_ It was an act of nobility on Peridot's part, or was it simply that she didn't like people, and Lapis wasn't gonna be an exception?  
"Hey Lapis!" Amethyst exclaimed, running to her when she was about to leave "Greg will give us a ride home, did he tell you?"  
"Yes, I was on my way to the parking lot..." Lapis replied "Aren't you supposed to go with your... How many are? Ten cousins?"  
"We're only four of us in this school, thank you very much"  
"And why don't I know the other two yet?"  
"What? Isn't Jasper enough for you?"  
"Tell me, now how do I get her off?"  
"I've been asking myself that for 18 years"   
"Thanks for the advice"  
"Anytime. I think things with Peri didn't work, right?"  
"Why you say that?"  
"You have that face"  
"Which face?"  
"You know, Lapis' face"  
Lapis smiled and gave her a friendly push. Amethyst laughed and kept walking until they reached Greg, Garnet and Pearl. Greg's van was quite rundown, it was white and had a sign with stars and planets at the sides that read "Mr. Universe"  
"So this is your space train to the cosmos?" Lapis said, provoking the girls' laughter  
"Maybe it's not much, but it's at your disposal, baby" Greg said.  
The guys from the car parked to one side, which Lapis recognized as members of the football team, whistled, and one of them exclaimed "Hey Greg! Leave us some, dude!"  
"Sorry, man! They're my girls!" Greg replied, hugging Lapis by the shoulders  
The boys got in the car and left, shouting at Greg things like "Well done!". Just until they disappeared, Amethyst punched the boy in the shoulder and said "Never call us 'your girls' again"  
"You are OUR Greg," Garnet said, embracing him briefly, which was worth seeing 'cause she was taller than him  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Greg said, opening the passenger door and looking at Lapis. "C'mon milady, I hope you enjoy your first trip"  
"Thanks" Lapis replied, getting into the van.  
The girls climbed into the backseat. Everything in the truck was quite old, but there was a certain cozy atmosphere. There were lots of CD's lying around, and Lapis took some to see them. She and Greg liked tha same music.  
"Are you all ready?" Greg asked, getting into the van and closing the door.  
"Yeah man" Amethyst said  
"Hey Lapis, I already had a Nirvana CD in the stereo. You like them, right?"  
"I love them" Lapis replied.  
"I know he wanna be cool" Pearl said "But if you only knew what he hear when he think no one sees..."  
"No! It's our secret!" Greg complained, turning on the engine. It made a lot of noise, and Lapis hoped the van didn't explode halfway.  
"Well, I'll follow your route, milady" Greg said.  
Lapis was pointing the way to her house. Traveling with them was a lot of fun, Lapis had a great time listening to the nonsense that Greg and Amethyst said. Although she had only a week of know them, Lapis felt they had been friends for years.  
"Turn right" Lapis said, when they were almost at her house "Go straight, as if you were going to the dock"  
"This neighborhood is cute" Pearl commented "It's very calm"  
"And this part of the beach is almost always alone" Garnet commented   
"Cool dude!" Amethyst exclaimed "We can come with Lapis, it's like having a private beach"  
"Wow, look at that house!" Greg said "I don't remember it... It's huge!"  
Lapis blushed a little when she saw that it was her own house that he was talking about.  
"Surely a super rich family lives there" Amethyst said "Or an old millionaire lady and her cats"  
"I don't really have pets" Lapis said.  
Greg stopped almost in front of the house and everyone looked at her. "You live here?" Pearl exclaimed  
"Yeah" Lapis said  
"Are you serious?! No way!" Amethyst exclaimed, with a smile  
"Yeah! What's wrong?" Lapis asked  
"I guess when you said you lived near the dock..." Garnet said  
"I know, I know..."  
"Dude, Lapis could buy your van and you if she want to!" Amethyst told to Greg, laughing  
"Holy crap, Lapis! Next time I'll wash the van before you get on it... If you don't get yourself a Ferrari!" Greg joked  
"Well, I don't wanna buy a Ferrari" Lapis said "But I can order some pizzas and invite you"  
"Of course!" Amethyst replied "Do you have a pool?"  
"No, but I have a lot of movies and video games" Lapis said  
"I'd love to, but ..." Pearl said, looking at Greg  
"It's all right! Garnet and I will go for him and come back" Greg replied.  
"Sure" Garnet said "And I tell my moms that I will be here"  
"Yeah man!" Amethyst exclaimed, getting off the van  
"By the way, Thanks for the ride," Lapis told Greg.  
"You're welcome, princess Lazuli" he said "We'll be back soon"  
Greg and Garnet left, and while Lapis was looking for her keys in her backpack, she asked to Pearl "Who is 'him'?"  
Amethyst laughted. Pearl smiled a little at Lapis and said "You'll soon know"

* * *

Amethyst had explored the house from top to bottom, commenting on everything she could. Lapis knew that from now on she wasn't going to stop joking on her for being the rich girl, but it was something that sooner or later they would find out.  
In the living room was a huge plasma tv with excellent sound system, and Amethyst was now shooting zombies in a video game.  
Pearl was more observant of other details. Lapis ordered the pizzas, and when she hung up she noticed that Pearl was standing at the door of her room.  
"You can come in if you want" Lapis said, opening the door and taking her inside "If you don't die when you see the mess"  
"It's nothing, you've never seen Amethyst's room" Pearl replied. She walked on and ran into a picture on the desk. She looked at it for several seconds and asked "Who are they?"  
"It's me and my mom" Lapis replied.  
"That's you?"  
In the photograph, Azura and Lapis were smiling at the camera, with the landscape of some waterfalls behind. It was very recent. They had taken it on their last vacation, a few weeks before Lapis moved.  
"Wow, it's a little strange to see you without blue... You look cute with long hair" Pearl commented  
"I cut it the night before we met" Lapis said  
"Why?"  
"I really don't know, I just wanted to do it"  
Pearl looked at her for a few seconds and commented "You look cute now too"  
"Thanks"  
They both blushed. Then Pearl cleared her throat and said "Your mom is beautiful"  
"She is. Thanks"  
Just then the doorbell rang. Lapis thanked this, things were starting to get weird. They both left the room. Amethyst had paused the game, and when she saw them she asked "Hey P! Is Lapis' room nice?"  
Lapis chuckled and went to open the door. "Go ahead" she said, letting Garnet pass. However, she did'ot expect what she saw afterwards. Greg was carrying a little boy, about 2 years old.  
"Hey Lapis! This is Steven, he's my son" Greg said proudly.  
"Your son?" Lapis repeated. She looked at the boy, but he hid his face in Greg's chest. "Oh, c'mon Steven! Say hello to Lapis" Greg cheered. "I'm sorry, he's a little shy"  
"It's okay," Lapis said, still surprised. She stepped aside to let them in. Greg was the last person she'd ever imagined was a father.  
"Steven!" Amethyst exclaimed "Come here!"  
Greg put Steven on the floor, and he ran awkwardly to Amethyst, who picked him up and covered him with kisses as he laughed.  
"I guess Pearl didn't tell you this either" Greg said, nudging Lapis  
"I think she forgot" she replied, watching Steven go with Pearl and hug her tightly. The look on Pearl's face was so sweet...!  
"Well, what do you do?" Greg asked  
"Oh man, you must play this!" Amethyst said, pointing to the screen "It's amazing"  
"Can I, princess Lazuli?" Greg asked  
"Go ahead"  
At one point, Greg and Amethyst were firing at the zombies, while Garnet advised them what to do. Lapis of course wasn't gonna run out of explanation. She sat down next to Pearl and said "Some other secret, Porl?"  
Pearl chuckled and said to the kid "Steven, she's Lapis. She's a new friend. Say hello "  
"Hi" Steven said timidly.  
Lapis smiled. Generally she didn't like very young children, but just seeing Steven up close felt she already loved him. The little boy had rosy cheeks, brown eyes and curly hair. "Hi Steven" Lapis said, stroking the kid's hair  
"Don't worry too much about him" Pearl said "It's almost his nap time"  
"No" Steven said.  
"Yes it is, young man" Pearl said, kissing his forehead  
Lapis smiled and looked at Pearl, waiting for an explanation.  
"Steven, do you wanna go with Garnet?" Pearl proposed to him  
"Yes!" Steven exclaimed. Pearl put him on the couch, and Steven crawled up to Garnet's legs, who hugged him and began to tickle him.  
"When Garnet hugs him, he doesn't take long to fall asleep" Pearl explained   
"He seems to be an adorable kid" Lapis said  
"He is. He's the best"  
"And who of you three is his mom?"  
Pearl smiled a little and said "All of us"  
"That's clear"  
"Well... Actually we were four Crystal Gems"  
"Oh... Oh no, I'm sorry, I..."  
"Well, Steven never met Rose, but at least he's got us three. And Greg, of course "  
"Rose...?"  
"I sure she would have liked you. She liked everyone"  
Lapis could notice something else in Pearl's voice, but perhaps it wasn't the best time to ask. Especially 'cause at that moment the guys let out a victory cry, and she saw Greg and Steven do a hi-five.  
"So the emergency this morning had something to do with Steven?" Lapis asked  
"Yes, his babysitter quit" Pearl explained "Then we called several people, and nobody could take care of him until we thought about the obvious: we left him with Ruby and Sapphire"  
"Oh yeah! I remember Sapphire asking about him the other day. Why didn't you tell me?"  
"C'mon Lapis, I just met you. Besides, you didn't tell me that you live in a mansion"  
"Oh, it's not a mansion ..."  
"It's huge! What's your mom's job?"  
"I'll tell you later"  
"Oh please"  
"Later, Porl"

* * *

As Pearl had anticipated, Steven fell asleep shortly before the pizzas arrived. It had been a very pleasant afternoon. They watched a couple of movies and played video games, and the guys didn't leave until late into the night. That of course wasn't a problem, Lapis really enjoyed spending time with them, including Steven. After the initial surprise and assimilation, and once the child woke up from his nap, Lapis found that she would end up joining the "Steven's moms club". The little kid was just adorable, it was impossible not to loved him.  
Lapis knew she still had a lot to discover about Pearl and Greg's relationship, and now about the mysterious Rose, but she would find out little by little. Pearl was right, after all they had just met. Besides, she hadn't told her she was a Diamond.  
And talking about Diamonds, being around Blaine was really a torture. She, Lapis, and Greg had created a chatroom to planed their work, and the blonde girl didn't miss an opportunity to express how bad she felt about having to work with them. Lapis didn't know what her problem was. Maybe she was naturally a bitch. Seeing her in classes wasn't much better, Blaine kept looking at Lapis with displeasure. The girl was starting to wonder if Blaine already knew she was her cousin. Perhaps Aunt Xhante had spoken mean things of Lapis with her daughters, and that was why Blaine hated her. Although to tell the truth, she seemed to hate almost everyone. But at least she hadn't gone back to bother Peridot.  
And talking about Peridot... The little blonde still didn't speak to Lapis. Well, that was saying little. In fact she seemed to be pretending that Lapis didn't exist, she didn't even look at her.  
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Lapis tried to be noticed. She didn't want things to end badly between them, if at all. Lapis had tried to talk to her a couple of times, when she came in the morning, when she saw her in class, and at lunch. She always said "Hi Peridot" but she pretended not to listen.  
Lapis didn't take this very well. That is, Blaine hated her and everything but at least she didn't pretend that Lapis was invisible. What did Peridot intend with all that? As much as she tried to see what her mistake had been, she couldn't see it. There was nothing wrong with wanting to defend her. Although perhaps she was annoyed by the insinuation to her mother. But c'mon, she could have only denied it. But no, she became very nervous, which did nothing more than confirm Lapis' suspicions.  
Wednesday classes were over, and Lapis was very worried. Next day the deal was over. She had promised to get out of Peridot's life if she so wished, and she was willing to comply. She was gonna do it, but she didn't want to do it. Her only hope was to please Peri. Lapis knew it was so. She could see it in Peri's green eyes. She saw how they lit up when she saw her coming, even though she pretended not to notice. She knew it was not all lost yet.  
That's why she braced herself, and when she went to her locker before going home, it was a great relief to see that the blonde had not left yet. But she could see how she was hurrying quietly.  
"Listen, I don't know what I did wrong" Lapis said at once. "But I know you like me. I know you get happy when I get there with you. And I know deep down you want to keep talking to me. Then tell me why you don't"  
Peridot didn't answer. She kept her things, but Lapis could watch a slight blush on her cheeks.  
"Peri... Don't do it" Lapis continued. "I don't know what you're trying to do with all this, but you don't have to be alone all the time. I know some people are mean with you, but you know I'm not gonna hurt you. On the contrary, I wanna help you. Protect you from all those who want to hurt you. But I won't be able to do it if you don't leave me "  
This wasn't working, Peridot finished fixing her backpack and closed her locker.  
"Do you do it for me?" Lapis asked. "Do you think they're going to treat me badly or something? I wanna see they trying. Besides, I don't care what others say. I care about you. You don't have to be alone... Say something, please. C'mon"  
The blonde didn't look at her. She stood there for a few seconds, as if thinking about answering, but in the end she just left with a quick step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a really short chapter, but school has me very busy. Next one will be a little longer. Thanks for your patience, guys.


	8. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis manages to solve a problem. But she comes across many more.

"And she just leave you there?" Pearl asked   
"Yep. As if she hadn't listened to me" Lapis replied.  
The situation of the previous day had hurt her a lot, but she didn't want to accept it. Lapis had always considered herself a person who wasn't easy to hurt her feelings. However, that thought had evaporated in just one week.  
"Don't you think you're taking this too seriously?" Pearl asked  
"What do you mean?" Lapis asked  
"Tell me... Why do you care so much about Peridot?"  
"Well..."  
"I don't want you to tell me that you find her interesting or something. I really don't think she cares."  
"How do you know she doesn't care? Pearl, you should see her expression when she sees me arrive"  
"Hey, I know you like her a lot, but you have to understand that Peri doesn't like people very much"  
"Maybe it's different with me"  
"I just don't want you to get hurt"  
"I'll be fine, calm down. But thanks."  
Pearl smiled a little. That morning, Greg hadn't boarded the bus with them because he had gone to leave Steven with Sapphire, but he insisted that Pearl wouldn't risk to be late again.  
"Your hair is really a mess" Pearl comented, trying to fix Lapis' hair  
"It's nice. You say it" Lapis said "But tell me the truth... Swear you don't dye your hair"  
"For the thousandth time, this is my natural color"  
"I don't believe you"  
They got off the bus when they got to school, and walked to Lapis' locker. The girl walked cautiously at any sign of Jasper.  
"You can't hide all your life" Pearl pointed "Why don't you just tell her to walk away?"  
"I've given her a thousand hints. It doesn't work" Lapis said  
"Then say it directly"  
"It's not that easy, I feel she's gonna hit me or something"  
"It's that or you like having fans"  
"Believe me, I prefer to go unnoticed"  
They turned around the corner, and they both stopped to watch the scene. Aquamarine had Peridot against the lockers, and she was saying something with a mocking smile on her face as she hitted her head with the palm of her hand. The blonde had her eyes tightly closed and she seemed to be shaking a little.  
Lapis felt her blood boil. She took off her backpack and handed it to Pearl, saying "Hold this"  
"What are you doing?" Pearl asked  
But Lapis didn't answer. She ran to Aquamarine and tackled her. They both fell to the floor. A few moments ago, no one stopped to help Peri, but now they all stopped, and an "Ohhhh" sounds.  
"I thought I told you to leave Peridot alone" Lapis said, holding Aquamarine by the shoulders.  
"Lapis..." Pearl started to say behind her, but Lapis ignored her.  
At the same time, a huge figure approached the other side. Aquamarine smiled and said "It's okay Topaz. If the newie wants to play the hero..."  
Aquamarine hitted her in the stomach with her knee to get rid of her. Lapis doubled in pain, but didn't let her go. However, Aquamarine threw her against the lockers. Lapis was frankly surprised that someone of that size was so strong.  
"Do you really want to do this?" Aquamarine asked derisively, as she stood up  
Lapis tried to hitted her, but the girl dodged it. Lapis didn't hesitate for a second and threw herself on her again. She had never actually been in a real fight, she just knew she wanted to do that idiot all the damage she could.  
Much of what happened next had been a huge confusion. Lapis listened to many screaming to encourage the fight and Pearl asking her to stop, all while she saw a swirl of colors 'cause everything was so fast, and she gave and received blows. Unfortunately, she was getting more than she gave. Aquamarine seemed to be accustomed to these things, Lapis was almost certain that the only thing that prevented her from beating her was her advantage in size.  
Anyway, that didn't prevent the smaller girl from staying ahead. But even if she couldn't win, Lapis wanted to make the message clear. She didn't want to see her near Peridot anymore.  
At that moment, she felt two arms take her under her arms and pull her back to separate them. Lapis turned and saw Greg holding her, and behind him was Pearl, who looked really worried.  
"Calm down. That's enough" Greg said.  
Lapis could then concentrate on how she felt. She was panting, her left eye hurt, and she tasted blood in her mouth. Aquamarine sat on the floor. She was just bleeding from the nose, but she looked exhausted. She looked at Lapis and said "Is that all you got?"  
"Come here" Pearl said softly, trying to get her to her feet.  
"You're incredible" Aquamarine continued. "I can't believe you're even dumber than Peridot. How else could you be interested in her?"  
Lapis freed herself from Greg and Pearl, and threw herself more than ready to go on with the fight, but Aquamarine reacted and opened a locker so fast and strong that Lapis couldn't dodge it, and felt the metal corner of the door hitted her under her left eye. Lapis snarled, taking one hand to the hit site, and felt her hand fill with blood as she felt a sharp throbbing pain. Taking advantage of the distraction, Aquamarine gave her a strong kick in the sternum that threw her back. It took her so surprised that she didn't stop the impact, and hit the back of her head with the wall, making a dull thud. For a second she could only see a white flash, and hear a distant cry of "Lapis!"  
The crowd around them fell silent for a few seconds, but some began to scream again when they saw that Lapis stood up anyway and took Aquamarine by the blouse. Although her vision was still faintly blurred, Lapis could see that the girl was surprised. Maybe it was the first time someone had faced her that way.  
"I don't wanna see you near her" Lapis said, and she threw her hand back to release a blow. But someone took her hand to stop her. Lapis turned to ask to continue, but she was speechless when she saw that it wasn't Pearl or Greg.  
It was Agate. Without saying anything, she grabbed Lapis by the back of her blouse and pulled her to her feet. Lapis felt dizzy, especially since she still saw everything blurry. Everyone started to run. Agate also stood up to Aquamarine, and said "Looks like someone has problems"

* * *

Lapis didn't know in wich moment she was sitting outside the vice-principal's office, in fact, maybe she had even fainted a few seconds. She hadn't taken her hand away from her eye, and the blood was now dripping down her elbow. Agate watched her, for Aquamarine was inside the office at the time.  
She felt dizzy, and the smell of blood wasn't helping her at all. At last the door opened, and Aquamarine came out with a very annoying expression. Lapis stopped her and said "We need to talk. After class"  
Aquamarine shrugged and murmured a "As you wish"  
Lapis got to her feet, and walked into the office. Maybe it was because of the pain or because her mind was busy with other things, but so far she realized the gravity of this. It was obvious, but now that she was aware, her blood froze. And of course... Who was the vice-principal?  
"Ms. Diamond" Agate said "If you will allow me to comment, this girl should go to the nurse's office soon, so ..."  
"I'll take the necesary time, Agate" Ms. Diamond interrupted "Close the door"  
Lapis sat down in front of the desk. The woman had'ot even looked at her, she was very busy with some papers. Lapis supposed it was the record in Aquamarine's file.  
"So you think it's fun to use my halls as a wrestling ring?" the woman said, without looking up.  
"No, and I'm honestly sorry, but I did it because she was..."  
"I'm not interested in why you did it. I'm interested you don't do it again"  
She finished writing, and took a new paper. "What's you name?" she asked  
Lapis felt a lump in her throat and was silent. The woman looked at her sideways and insisted "Are you listening? What's your name?"  
Lapis swallowed before responding in a nervous voice "Lapis Lazuli Diamond"  
At last Aunt Xanthe looked at her closely. The woman was really very much like Lapis's mother. They were almost identical except that Aunt Xanthe had short blonde hair and amber eyes while Azura had long brown hair and blue eyes. But more than the eyes color, the most notable difference was that Azura had a kind and loving look, while Xanthe had a cold look. And she was looking at Lapis that way at that moment.  
Lapis blushed, and felt dizzy again. Aunt Xanthe took her time, but began writing while commenting, "It's funny to think that Azura boasts that her daughter has flawless behavior, don't you think?"  
Wow, that was make a good first impression. If she already hated her, she surely loved this situation.  
"She sure will be surprised when I call to notify her" Aunt Xanthe said  
"What?"  
"Parents are always notified when their children have bad behavior. And you're not gonna be the exception"  
"But aunt..."  
"Ms. Diamond" she corrected her "Don't think you're going to be treated differently. Especially now that I know you're a troublemaker"  
"But I was just defending...!"  
"I told you I'm not interested in what you did. Two weeks in detention 'cause it's your first offense, but next time it will be worse"  
"There will be no next time"  
"I hope so. Agate!"  
The woman entered the office. "Take my beloved niece to the nurse's office"  
Lapis got to her feet, feeling that knot in her throat yet.  
"A pleasure to meet you" Aunt Xanthe said, with a cold smile  
Lapis said nothing as she left. Great, there were so many ways to meet Aunt Xanthe, and she chose the worst. And to make things better, she had to endure the way to the nurse's office with Agate.  
She didn't like that woman at all. Lapis felt she shouldn't be near her, and when the woman touched her to indicate the way, Lapis walked away as if an electric current had passed. She kept her distance for the rest of the way. Anyway, it seemed that Agate also felt rejection towards her, reason why looked so happy when she caught her in the fight.  
When they finally arrived, a tall woman with curly, fluffy hair received her.  
"All yours, Rhodonite" Agate said, letting Lapis pass.  
Lapis sat down on the examination table. The nurse, Rhodonite or whatever, approached her, brought her hand down, and pulled her bangs away from her face "Yeah, that was a good fight, wasn't it?" she remarked  
Lapis shrugged. The woman chuckled as she filled a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and said "A little more and you break Aquamarine's nose"  
"Wow, I should have struggled a bit more"Lapis said, smiling a little  
"You would have had so many problems. I don't think I've seen you before"  
"I'm new. My name's Lapis Lazuli"  
Rhodonite began to clean around Lapis' eye with the cotton. Lapis groaned. It burned too much.  
"You're Ms. Diamond's daughter" the nurse said "Blue Diamond, as the students called her"  
"Yes... That's me. How do you know?"  
"Your Aunt Bianca was very excited to meet you. She notified all the staff of Azura's return, and she couldn't help mentioning her niece Lapis Lazuli"  
"I think she'll be a bit disappointed then"  
"Oh, I don't think so. She knows how Aquamarine is. I know that whatever happened, it's not your fault. And this is nothing compared to how disappointed she is about that spoiled little girl, your cousin Blaine"  
Well, that encouraged her a little. Rhodonite seemed a little dismayed and commented "I think this wound is more than it looks, maybe I should..."  
At that moment the door opened, and Aunt Bianca entered. Lapis shrank into her place as she saw her aunt's expression at the sight of her. She was furious.  
"You better have a very good excuse, Lazuli" she said.  
Lapis stammered a couple of syllables, but Rhodonite said "Oh, Ms. Diamond! I was about to call you, I'm afraid this wound is too big. She'll need a couple of stitches to close"  
"Wait... What?" Lapis said. She was about to say it wasn't so bad, but she was speechless as she felt the blood drip from her face to her leg again. She was losing too much blood for such a small wound.  
Aunt Bianca approached to see the wound closely. She sighed and said "Do you realize what could happen if that blow had been a little higher?"  
Lapis didn't say or do anything. Aunt Bianca said "Come here.Thanks Rhodonite"  
"Thanks" Lapis repeated, before going after her aunt.

* * *

It turned out that yes, Lapis' wound was more serious than it seemed. The corner of the door had struck her just at the edge of her eye socket, so the doctor could even see the bone as she cleaned the wound. And as Aunt Bianca had said, the doctor confirmed that if the blow had been a little higher, it would have seriously damaged Lapis' eye.  
The doctor had anesthetized her, and required four stitches to close the wound. Beyond that, nothing more serious had happened. Although when she told Aunt Bianca about the blow in her head, she immediately asked for a MRI scan. Of course, it didn't give any negative results.  
Now, Lapis was in Aunt Bianca's mini van, back to school. The woman had suggested that Lapis go home, but the girl insisted on returning. She had some business to arrange, she couldn't afford to lose them.  
"How much time in detention did Xanthe give you?" Aunt Bianca asked  
"Two weeks" Lapis replied  
"They will be three"  
"What? But..."  
"I hope you learn not to get in trouble"  
"But... It's okay ..."  
"You promised me you wouldn't be in trouble, Lazuli. What happened?"  
"Aquamarine was bothering a girl, I was just trying to defend her"  
"And wouldn't it have been better to notify someone?"  
Lapis thought not. It was something she had to do. But of course, she didn't say it. Instead, she sighed and replied "I guess so"  
"Listen, Aquamarine is a troublemaker who is more than willing to hurt others. I don't want you to have anything to do with her, do you understand?"  
"Yes, auntie"  
"I know you're better than this, Lazuli. Don't disappoint me"  
"I won't do it, I promise"  
"Ok. And by the way, I know that maybe I'm exaggerating, but I want you to stay at my house at least tonight, to make sure that nothing happen to you for all those blows "  
"It's okay"  
Lapis knew she didn't need surveillance. She had just a couple of blows, and she just needed to take a couple of painkillers, but it didn't seem like a good idea to argue with Aunt Bianca now.  
They got to school again. It should be just a few minutes since lunch time started.  
"Now, don't let that girl bother you again" Aunt Bianca said "Go get something to eat"  
"I'm not very hungry, actually" Lapis said  
"Nonsense. Do you buy your lunch in the cafeteria?"  
"Yeah"  
"Well, then go for it. I'll find out if you don't"  
Lapis nodded. Aunt Bianca hugged her and said "Maybe I'm being a bit rough, but I only care about you, Lazuli"  
"I know" Lapis replied "Thanks"  
"I'll see you later"  
Lapis nodded and entered the school. There was no one in the hallways, of course. The first thing she did was go to a bathroom, so she could see herself in the mirror. She had a black eye, and under it the sutured wound. She noticed that her lower lip was slightly swollen, and when she looked, she saw a small wound inside her lip. Other than that, the only difference was the little bloodstains on her blouse and jeans. Well, maybe going to her house earlier hadn't been a bad idea, after all. And she didn't even have clean clothes in the locker room. She would have to stay that way all day.  
She tried to hide her black eye with her hair. It worked, but it made her look like an emo. Well, maybe that was better to be presuming her wounds.  
If she had to, she went to the cafeteria. From the moment she entered, she realized that she wasn't going to make she go unnoticed. They all looked at her and murmured to their friends again. Surely the news of the fight had spread throughout the school. She tried to pretend she didn't notice it, and she went for her lunch. She was going to pay, when the lady said "You're Ms. Diamond's niece, right?"  
Lapis looked around to see that no one had heard that, and nodded.  
"You don't have to pay, honey. You would have told us before! Diamond girls don't pay here"  
"Thanks, you're very kind"  
She picked up her lunch tray, thinking that she hadn't even taken two minutes in the bathroom. Aunt Bianca did have full control of what was going on at school.  
She was walking to her usual table when she saw Amethyst beckoning. Of course, they deserved an explanation. Even Greg was there.  
"Hi" Lapis said as if nothing  
"Where have you been?" Pearl said "We're very worried!"  
"Hey Lapis! They say you beat Aquamarine!" Amethyst exclaimed   
"I think it was the other way around" she said.  
"But it was scary! You should have seen them" Greg said.  
"I don't think it was anything fun to watch" Garnet chided.  
"I didn't say it was fun, but it was awesome! No one had dared to put Aqua in their place before"  
"You didn't answer my question" Pearl made her see  
"Oh, yes" Lapis replied "Well... I was in the hospital"  
"Hospital?!"  
"Calm down! I don't want everyone to know"  
"Was that for the hit with the locker door?"  
As a reply, Lapis pushed her bangs out of her face. The guys winced.  
"Who took you to the hospital?" Garnet asked  
"Ummm... My auntie" Lapis repied, hiding her eye under her hair again  
"I guess she wasn't happy to hear what happened" Pearl said.  
"She was furious"  
"And how much time in detention did they give you?" Greg asked  
"Three weeks"  
"What? But it's your first!" Amethyst exclaimed "Aquamarine only got two!"  
"How do you know that?" Garnet asked  
"I heard from her when she told Topaz"  
Lapis shrugged. She stood up, taking her lunch tray and said "Well... I'll go with... You know"  
"I hope she appreciate this at least" Pearl said, pulling Lapis' backpack from under the table and handing it to her.  
"So am I" Lapis said, taking the backpack  
She tried to ignore everyone as she walked to the table. Peridot was with her laptop, as usual.  
Lapis sat down in front of her and waited for her to say hello or something. But no.  
She sighed and began to eat. She took out her phone, and felt a lump in her throat to see that she had 9 missed calls from her mother.  
She didn't have time to feel bad, 'cause at that moment her phone began to ring. She answered, cautiously saying "Hi mommy"  
"Lapis Lazuli Diamond, I hope you have a great explanation!" her mother said, very angry  
"Not really... Just... I'm sorry"  
"I couldn't believe what Xanthe was telling me! You fighting in the hallways!"  
"I was trying to defend someone. I'm really sorry"  
"You should have told one of your aunts, or the prefect!"  
"I know, mom"  
"And why didn't you answer the phone?!"  
"I was in the hospital"  
"In the hospital?"  
"Don't worry, it's nothing serious. I'll stay with Aunt B tonight"  
"Fine. Oh, and you're grounded"  
"What?"  
"I'll reduce your weekly money, and you'll listen to me when I arrive there"  
"It's okay..."  
"Lapis, I hoped you could take care of yourself"  
"I can do it, Mom. It won't happen again"  
"I hope so. We'll talk later."  
"Okay"  
Without any more, her mother hung up. Being scolded by the three Diamonds has to be a record in this school.  
She put the phone away, and stared at her lunch for a few seconds before resigning herself to not eating anything else.  
"Okay, this is over" Lapis said "I'll disappear from your life"  
Peridot said nothing. In fact, she ignored her.  
"I'm sorry you had to put up with me, and you know, you're amazing even if you don't wanna see it. You're the smartest girl I've ever met, and I know I missed a lot of you, but... Well, if you wanted to talk to me one day... "  
Nothing. Lapis started to get fed up and said, without shouting, but raising her voice a little "I ended up in the hospital to defend you today. Would you at least pretend to be paying attention?"  
No, nothing. Lapis felt a few tears begin to form in her eyes, so before she left, she simply said, "Thanks for the opportunity anyway"

* * *

The hour in detention was eternal, and only served to make Lapis think that, in the end, everyone was right. Peridot's had been a complete failure. She just didn't understand why. What had she done wrong? What was wrong with her? She just wanted to be nice, and give that girl some security. And what had she got in return? A beating, several scoldings, two punishments and a visit to the hospital.  
Well, maybe Lapis was guilty. Everyone had warned her that that made no sense, and she ignored them... But how could she not? Peridot was so cute and tender, she couldn't just leave she there. But well, there was no other way.  
When she could finally get out of detention, she stopped Aquamarine in the corridor before she left.  
"Oh right, you wanted to talk" Aquamarine said, who had a slightly swollen nose "What the hell do you want?"  
"I want to offer you a deal" Lapis said  
"Yeah, I don't think I'm interested"  
"I think it does interest you"  
"Fine, but say it quick"  
"Listen to me, you're gonna leave Peridot alone once and for all. You're not gonna hit her, bother her, take her things, tell her anything... You have to pretend she doesn't exist"  
"Oh, but she's my favorite toy! Why would I?"  
"'Cause you're gonna do all that to me"  
Aquamarine chuckled before saying "I think I hit you so hard. You're crazy"  
"I don't think so. You're gonna leave Peridot alone, and you can bother me all you want. I'm not gonna defend myself or complain"  
"It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard"  
"All the school knows about the fight, but some say that I beat you up. If everyone sees that you bother me, and that I don't do anything about it, they'll believe that you won"  
"I don't need this nonsense. Everyone who was there knows that I won"  
"Then why did the rumor run? Look at it differently: you hate me. You know you'd love to treat me like you treat Peridot. And I promise I won't defend myself. That'll ruin the cool girl image I have. You know you want to do it. And you just have to leave her alone"  
Aquamarine stared at her for a few moments, shrugged and said "Okay. I'll take the deal, just..."  
"What?"  
"I don't get it"  
"What?"  
"Why do you do it? Why Peridot?"  
"Maybe you're right. I'm crazy"  
Aquamarine shrugged and walked away, exclaiming "You want it. I'm gonna ruin your life, bitch"  
Lapis sighed. Her senior year was going to be harder than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all you coments, guys!


	9. Back to the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things eventually get better

It turned out that spending night at Aunt Bianca's house hadn't been a bad idea. Especially since Lapis began to feel a little dizzy after school, and her body began to ache now that the heat of the fight had passed.  
Lapis felt very bad, not because of the pain, but because she knew that things were going to be very different now. At first Peridot wasn't going to talk to her again, and she didn't have to speak to her either. Second, for the first time in many years she was going to have a bully. And third, that bully was Aquamarine. In that couple of weeks at school, Lapis had realized how cruel that little bitch could be. And worst of all, she couldn't do anything. Her only hope was that in the end she would get bored with having fun with Lapis.  
It was night, and Lapis was lying on the bed in one of Aunt Bianca's spare rooms. Like everything else in the house, everything was impeccably white.  
"Lazuli, can I come in?" aunt Bianca asked, from the other side of the door  
"Yes, go ahead" Lapis said, sitting on the bed  
The woman came in, carrying a glass of water and the painkillers. "I want to make sure you take this" she said, handing those things over to Lapis  
"Thanks auntie" Lapis said, and took the pill. All afternoon she had done immediately what her aunt asked. She didn't want to disturb her any more.  
"How's your eye?" the woman asked  
"It hurts a little, but I think it's fine" Lapis replied  
Aunt Bianca sat down beside her and brushed her hair back from her face to examine the wound. Lapis stood very still, almost without breathing. Aunt Bianca sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears before saying "You gave me a big fright"  
"Why?" Lapis asked  
"Well, you didn't see this wound open"  
Lapis smiled a little. Aunt Bianca put a hand on her cheek and said "I don't want any more fights"  
"I know, it won't happen again. I'm really sorry"  
"Don't let Aquamarine tease you again. That girl only causes trouble"  
"And why don't you do something about it?"  
"I can't.This is the only really serious thing she has done. And she has very good grades. She's very clever"  
"She's a bully"  
"That's why you must stay away"  
Lapis nodded. She really appreciated that her aunt took a moment to talk to her. After all, she was a busy woman, she had to run more than 10 schools.  
"How did Xanthe react?"  
"I think she was happy to punish me" Lapis said, looking at the floor  
"Are you ok, honey?" aunt Bianca asked, stroking Lapis's hair  
"I just... Don't understand"  
"What you don't understand?"  
"Why does she hate me? She doesn't really know me, she doesn't know what I'm like. I understand she thinks I wanna replace Sky, but why couldn't she wait to meet me to judge me?"  
Aunt Bianca took a few moments to reply "To be honest, I also wondered that"  
"Do you think I can change her mind?"  
"Xanthe is... Well, you can try. There's always a possibility"  
"It's just that ... Well, I was very happy to meet you. I wanted to know what it feels like to have a family... I don't wanna be on bad terms with anyone"  
Aunt Bianca stared at her, and held her slowly. Lapis returned the embrace, with a lump in her throat.  
"Xanthe will realises she's acting like a fool" assured aunt Bianca  
"I don't get along with Blaine either" Lapis said, releasing her aunt  
Aunt Bianca sighed, giggled and said "That girl is just like her mother"  
"I have to admit that I didn't try very hard... We just knew we wouldn't get along"  
"Well, as long as you two don't be mean... Try to stay on the sidelines, she can be very unpleasant. Xanthe allows her too much "  
"So Aunt Xanthe is married?"  
"Not really... I remember that she was very much in love with Blaine's father. He was a complete idiot. He left her as soon as he could"  
"Blaine inherited his father's character, didn't she?"  
Aunt Bianca laughed and replied "Sometimes it comes out. She's more like Xanthe, but that's not much better"  
"Does that mean that Olive is not her...?"  
"Olive's father was a very sweet boy, in fact. He was very shy, but very kind. He liked Xanthe very much, but she never listened to him "  
"Then how did it happen?"  
"Sometimes I think she spent some time with him to keep him quiet. I don't think Xanthe planned to get pregnant"  
"And what happend with him?"  
"He went to study a master's degree to another country. I doubt he knows he has a daughter"  
"You never told Aunt Xanthe to tell him?"  
"Yes, but I didn't insist much. I try not to interfere too much in herr life... Your mother never gave me these problems"  
Lapis knew that her mother and her aunts had grown up motherless. Aunt Bianca was 7 years older than Azura and Xanthe, so she had to help her father care for her three little sisters. Despite that, she never wanted to have children of her own.  
"Well, I suppose I should let you rest. We should leave early tomorrow" aunt Bianca said "And by the way, I don't need to remind you that you are forbidden to attend your swimming training"  
"I'll take it as part of the punishment," Lapis said, moving her arms and feeling pain in her shoulders and back.  
Aunt Bianca kissed her on the forehead "Night, Lazuli"  
"Night, auntie"

* * *

The next day, Lapis had come to school at least half an hour earlier than everyone else. She went to her locker to take her stuff so she wouldn't have to go through an awkward silence when she saw Peridot. Maybe she had to go through that sometime anyway, but the longer it took to do it, better.  
Since it was very boring to go to the school pool and not being able to swim, she went to see Pearl's fencing training. Amethyst said Pearl was good, but Lapis didn't think that at that level. Pearl moved gracefully, as if she were dancing ballet. When she removed the mask, the girl noticed that Lapis was looking at her and blushed so much that she seemed to explode. Shee went with Lapis and said "What are you doing here?"  
"I came to see you train. You're fabulous!" Lapis replied, taking her mask and putting it on.  
"Thank you. Give me back that"  
"No. Only if you stay with me"  
"Actually, I only had an hour of training 'cause the coach has to leave. Why aren't you training?"  
"I'm forbidden to swim because of my wound"  
Pearl removed the mask. Lapis smiled at her. Pearl blushed a little and cleared her throat, saying "Great! Then wait here for a few minutes while I put on my normal clothes"  
"I'll be right here"  
Lapis waited for Pearl, and was amused watching a couple of girls training. When they finished, one of them approached Lapis, removing the mask. She was Blaine. She looked at Lapis, raising her eyebrows and said, "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought that you were into street fights "  
"I can show you if you want" Lapis replied without meditating  
Blaine smiled and said "No thanks. I won't lower myself to your level"  
Lapis was about to answer something else, but she remembered that Aunt Bianca would probably not like to know that she sent her cousin to the infirmary. She agreed to hold her gaze. Blaine winked and left.  
Pearl, already in her normal clothes, arrived with her. She saw Lapis first, then Blaine, and said, "What happened? She was bothering you or... "  
"No, we just... talked"  
"Come on, we can go see the girls' training"  
"Ehh... would be great, but surely Jasper..."  
"Of course. Then what do you want to do?"  
"I don't know. I just want to spend some time with you"  
Pearl blushed a little, but hiding it in her backpack, like searching something. Lapis smiled. She wasn't sure what she was doing. She didn't want to excite Pearl or any of that... But the girl really liked her.  
"Well... we can stay here" Pearl proposed "If we go out to the corridors, Agate will punish us"  
"Seem right"  
Pearl sat down next to Lapis, brushing her hair off her face. "Hey" Lapis exclaimed  
"Wait, let me see" Pearl said, looking closely at Lapis' eye. The girl couldn't help but notice how pretty Pearl's eyes were.  
"Yes that was a serious blow" Pearl said.  
"That's what my aunt said"  
"By the way, why didn't you get on the bus this morning?"  
"My aunt brought me" Lapis said.  
"Doesn't it seem strange to you that I haven't met your aunts yet?"  
"Nope. I mean... We didn't have opportunity yet"  
"You know something Lapis? I have the impression that you are hiding something"  
"Something like being the adoptive mother of my best friend's son?"  
"Touché"

* * *

Pearl and Lapis were talking until lunchtime, when they headed to the cafeteria to join the gems. As they reached the table, they found Garnet checking Amethyst's black eye.  
"What happened?" Pearl asked, worried.  
"Ah, I just wanted to combine with Lapis" Amethyst said  
"I appreciate the gift" Lapis responded, sitting down  
"She thought she could beat Jasper" Garnet explained.  
"Well, I'm going to beat her one day! Now I know her movements better" Amethyst exclaimed  
"You've been saying that for months" Pearl observed  
"Well, it's going to happen soon. Maybe if Jasper gets distracted... I don't know... If she had a girlfriend..."  
"No" Lapis said  
"I'm gonna buy my lunch" Pearl said "Do you wanna come, Lapis?"  
"No, I'm not very hungry" Lapis replied "Besides, for now it's painful to eat" she finished, pointing the wound on her lip  
"Alright. I'll be back"  
Pearl walked away, and Amethyst finally broke free of Garnet to hide her black eye with her hair. "It would be great if I told my aunt that Jasper did this to me intentionally." Amethyst said "By the way Lapis, what happened with Peridot?"  
Lapis shrugged, a little disappointed.  
"Oh, come on" Garnet said "I'm sure everything will go well with her"  
"How do you know?"  
"She's coming here"  
Lapis felt her heart quicken as she turned and saw Peridot walking toward her, carrying two paper bags in her hand. It was as if time stood still, for not only was Lapis staring at her. Everyone seemed to leave what they were doing to turn to Peridot.  
The blonde finally stopped beside her. Her skin had turned a fiery red. "Do you want to have lunch with me?" she said, very very nervous "I... brought you lunch"  
Lapis looked at the girls. Both Amethyst and Garnet smiled at her. "Sure" Lapis responded, standing up.  
Lapis followed her, feeling everyone's gaze fixed on her. Peridot didn't go to the usual table, she left the cafeteria. Lapis followed. Peri go to the schoolyard, and didn't stop until she reached the last tree on the school grounds. When she arrived, she sat on the lawn. Lapis imitated her. The blond girl handed her one of the paper bags. Lapis took the bag and stared at Peridot. After a few moments of silence, she said "You didn't bring your laptop"  
"I don't need it" Peri respond  
Lapis opened the bag, and found they are a sandwich, an apple juice and some biscuits. She smiled and looked at the girl "Thanks"  
Peri smiled. Lapis loved to see her smile. Especially since it didn't happen very often.  
"I thought..." Lapis said. She stopped and asked simply "Why?"  
Peridot took a bite of her sandwich before saying "I'm so sorry"  
Lapis said nothing. She just looked at her. Peri cleared her throat and continued "I'm... I'm very sorry for how I treated you these days, I know it was very bad and... I'm really sorry"  
"Why? Why did you do it? "Lapis asked, trying to control the emotion in her voice  
Peridot blushed and looked at the grass, saying "I wanted you to stay away from my problems"  
Lapis was about to stop her, but Peridot looked at her and continued "I know what you're going to say. I didn't want to hurt you. That's why I know this is wrong. I didn't want to talk to you again to keep you off, but... I couldn't help it. I really like being with you. Even when we didn't talk... Forgive me for being so selfish "  
Lapis was left without an answer, so the blonde continued "And I'm very sorry that you ended up in the hospital because of me. You didn't have to defend me from Aquamarine, especially for how I treated you. I'll never be able to thank you enough. You've done more for me in these weeks than anyone in my whole life"  
As Lapis didn't know what to answer, she hugged her. And she held her so tightly that she feared to hurt her. She heard faint sobs from Peridot, and she felt the girl embrace her. And so, between sobs, Peridot said "I'm so sorry, Lapis!"  
"Listen to me" Lapis said, not letting go of Peridot. "I don't care what you think you should hide. I don't care how many times I end up in the hospital. I want you to let me get close to you... I really want us to be friends, okay? I won't leave you, I promise... Unless you want to"  
"I don't want that. Sorry…"  
Lapis released her. Peri tried to smile even though he was still shedding a few tears. Then she brought her little hand to Lapis' face and brushed the hair off her face. She grimaced at the sight of Lapis' black eye and wound, and commented "This is all my fault"  
"No, it's not" Lapis said "You didn't ask me to do it"  
Peridot shrugged and continued to see Lapis' wound. Or so she believed until the blonde commented "I really like your eyes"  
Lapis blushed and replied "Then I'll try not to lose them in another fight"  
Peridot smiled and took her sandwich again. Lapis imitated her, beginning to eat despite the sharp pain in her lip.

* * *

At the end of the day, when they went to their lockers, Lapis was so happy that she felt that nothing and nobody could ruin the day. Peridot had talked to her all day, and still occasionally apologized for what had happened. Lapis wasn't annoyed. In fact, she was so happy for having another chance. Now she wanted to know more about Peridot. And above all, what she meant "her problems". Lapis needed to know what was going on in that girl's life to help her. Lapis felt the need to protect her. Peridot seemed to have such a pure soul that she simply didn't understand how anyone could harm her.  
Lapis closed her locker and paused for a moment to watch Peridot, who struggled to close her backpack. There wasn't one thing she didn't like about that pretty girl. She loved each of her freckles. Each of her blond hair that shot in every direction. Every little noise she made when something bothered her, something like “nyheee”.  
Peridot noticed that she was being watched. She smiled and blushed a little. "What?" she said  
Lapis shrugged and smiled. Then she said "Would you like to come to my house tomorrow? We can play video games, watch a movie..."  
Peridot smiled and said "I would like it very much, but... I accept, only if my mother gives me permission. I promise to do my best to get it"  
"Ok... You have my number, so... Let me know"  
"Sure. And thank you... For everything"  
"I hope to see you tomorrow. I must go to detention, you know... "  
"I'll reward you"  
"If you insist…"  
Peridot was going to say something else, but suddenly fell silent. Lapis was just about to ask what was going on, when someone pushed her hard into the lockers, causing her a hit on the shoulder. She saw Aquamarine's evil smile before she said "I see you in detention, bitch"  
Only that. It was as if Peridot was invisible. Peridot was surprised, and she was going to ask something, when Lapis said "See you, Peri" and walked away, rubbing her aching shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, guys :3


	10. One Step Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...to the edge and she's about to break?  
>  Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confirmed theory!

It turned out that that day she was also going to stay at her aunt's house, mostly because the woman was still concerned that Lapis forgot to take her pills. The truth was that Lapis felt much better. She felt as if she carried a huge balloon of happiness inside her chest, and there were moments when she found herself smiling for no apparent reason. Peridot certainly made the world a better place.  
Knowing that Monday she could go to school to greet the little blonde, and even the possibility of spending time with her over the weekend, were things that made Lapis feel very happy, despite all the small problems that she had. When she thought of the smiles that Peri had given her, she forgot the pain, her three weeks in detention, that her mother was upset with her, and Aquamarine.  
That last one made her think one thing... If Peridot didn't want to get her in trouble, how would she react when she realized what was going on? Peri wasn't stupid, it was obvious that she would notice that her bully was about to annoy someone else so suddenly. And by the way, Lapis had sworn a thousand times to Aunt Bianca that she already had that bruise on her shoulder since the day before.  
But that didn't matter. The more time passed before she had to give explanationsto Peri, better. Maybe she should have asked Aquamarine not to be so rude with her in front of Peridot.  
Since she didn't want to spend the whole afternoon locked in aunt Bianca's house (which wasn't boring at all anyways), Lapis called Pearl to ask her to meet on the beach, near Lapis' house. And there she was now, sitting on the sand, lamenting that she was forbidden to go swimming. She was content to see a group of boys swimming, and identified them as the same ones she had seen in the cafeteria a week ago, those who didn't dare to talk to her.  
"Hey Lapis" Pearl greeted her, sitting down next to her.  
"Hey" Lapis replied "Thanks for coming"  
"No problem"  
"How is Steven?"  
"Do you wanna hear something crazy? He don't stop asking us when we'll visit you"  
"Visit me?"  
"Yes, I think he likes you a lot. It's a surprise for us too. He's a little shy"  
"Bring him on whenever you want. I like that little kid too"  
"I'll let you know. By the way, you disappeared today at lunch"  
"Oh yeah! It was 'cause..."  
"You don't have to tell me, the whole school talks about it!"  
Lapis blushed and chuckled "Are you serious?" she asked  
"Yes, it's surprising, actually. What did she say to you?"  
"Well, she told me that she regretted how she had treated me... She explained her reasons to me and I think we'll be friends now"  
Pearl opened her mouth to say something, but in the end she stared at the horizon.  
"Is something wrong?" Lapis asked  
"No" Pearl reply, with a relaxed voice  
"C'mon, I know you want to say something"  
"Well... Are you sure?"  
"About what?"  
"About Peridot"  
"I don't understand..."  
"Do you believe in her?"  
Lapis stared at her for a few seconds... How dare she ask that? Peridot was the purest person in the world, why shouldn't she believe in her?  
"Take it easy" Pearl said hastily "I mean, she already gave you a chance, and somehow she didn't do it. She's doing it again, why would it be any different this time?"  
"'Cause she said it" Lapis replied  
They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Pearl looked away and said "Okay"  
"What's your problem?" Lapis asked  
"I have no problem, I just asked... Do you want us to go somewhere?" Pearl said, clearly not intending to fight  
But Lapis... Lapis had had that stupid desire to discuss. "Why don't you want me to be near her?"  
"I never said that, Lapis. Is enough, I don't want us to argue"  
"Then what's wrong with you?"  
"Look, this morning and all the week you were very sad for Peridot, I just want to make sure you're sure not to get hurt again"  
"Don't get into my life. I'll know what I do or don't, or if I let her hurt me or not. That's none of your business"  
Pearl sighed and said "You're right, it's not. I'm sure you have it under control"  
Pearl stood up and gently shook the sand, saying "See you then"  
Lapis heard her footsteps receding. She couldn't help it, she turned around and exclaimed "Pearl!" the girl turned "I'm sorry"  
"It's okay" Pearl said, with a small smile  
"Do you wanna stay?"  
"I should really go back... I have to take care of Steven tonight"  
"Fine... See you then"  
Pearl siad goodbye and walked away, leaving Lapis feeling like an idiot.

* * *

Before returning to Aunt Bianca's house, Lapis went home to take enough clothes for 3 days. She was sure that her aunt wouldn't let her go home all weekend. But it was fine, Lapis really liked her aunt's company.  
She hadn't stopped feeling bad about how she said to Pearl. Now she saw it, actually the girl hadn't said anything wrong, on the contrary. But no, Lapis always had that stupid need to fight. She felt very guilty for having made her join her just to behave so badly with her. She must have said something else, to keep her from leaving...  
But she didn't. She had sent her a long message apologizing, and saying that she had behaved like that 'cause in a way she also felt insecure about her and Peridot. Pearl had answered that she understood her, and that there was no problem. However, when Lapis proposed that they be seen sometime during the weekend, Pearl politely declined, saying she would be busy. Lapis didn't insist. She knew she had hurt her and had to give her some space, but she felt very bad. She thought about going to her house and apologizing for it, but she realized she didn't really know where she lived, and she was ashamed to ask any of the gems. All she had to do was wait until Monday.  
And that's how Lapis ruined her afternoon. Aunt Bianca was surprised to see her arrive so soon, but she didn't say anything. Lapis was now at the terrace table, doing the essay for history class, listening music and smoking one of Aunt Bianca's expensive cigarettes. Her aunt didn't mind if she smoked in the house, as long as it was a secret between them. It was a great deal, since surely Azura would bother much with both if she found out.  
Lapis was in the middle of her paragraph when her phone buzzed. She took it, hoping it was Pearl (since she hadn't responded to her last message). But no. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw it was Peridot.

P: Hi Lapis!

Lapis felt a little blush. That wasn't normal at all. How could she be so nervous about such a short message? She even had to breathe deeply as she wrote.

L: Hi Peri. How are you?

P: I'm fine. How are you? Sure the blows hurts you a lot

L: They doesn't hurt so much anymore, thanks for asking. So we'll meeting tomorrow?

P: I still don't ask my mom's permission, but I'll let you know early tomorrow

L: Yeah pls. Where do you wanna go tomorrow? If she give you permission of course

P: I don't know. I don't really go out much, so you'll have to decide

L: Well, I'm the new girl. I think we'll find places together

P: Perfect. By the way, I want to say sorry again for everything that happened

L: We talked about this. There's no problem

P: Thank you Lapis. You're an amazing person

Lapis was so moved by these simple words that she let out a small cry of joy. So much so that she heard her aunt asking "Are you ok dear?"  
"Yes, everything's fine!" Lapis replied

L: You're amazing too. Thanks for the opportunity

P: You're welcome. I have to go to dinner. I'll let you know if I have permission.

L: All right, good luck.

P: By the way, where do you live? In case my mom asks

L: On the east beach, next to the docks

P: All right. I hope we see each other tomorrow

L: Me too. Bye, Peri

P: Goodbye Lapis

Lapis heaved a sigh. Suddenly, spending the rest of the afternoon doing her homework didn't seem so terrible.

* * *

POV Peridot

Peridot sighed and set her cell phone on her bedside table. She felt like she was going to throw up. She knew how her mother would get when she asked for permission to go out, but she had to risk to recibe a scolding. It was the least she could do for Lapis.  
Lapis... Damn. Peridot had never seen such a beautiful girl in her life. What's more, she had never been attracted to anyone, no person in her life. And suddenly this girl appeared, and everything Peridot thought she knew about herself collapsed. Love was for clods, something stupid in what she had never thought of. Just thinking about someone hug her was something that made her very anxious. However, she didn't bother when Lapis hugged her that morning. It doesn't bother her that Lapis approached  
But of course, she wasn't going to get her hopes up. It was impossible for such a beautiful girl to look at Peridot in a romantic way. But she wasn't gonna miss the opportunity to be her friend. Especially after what she had done for her.  
She was still feeling terribly guilty about what she had done. That week hadn't been easy. How many times had she resisted the temptation to run to and say hello, or at least look at her...! But it hadn't worked. She tried, really tried to push Lapis away, to keep her safe from all the bad things happening around her. Lapis, for some strange reason, insisted on not retiring. Peridot knew she was being selfish by involving her in her life, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to avoid it. She wanted to keep Lapis close every day, she felt she needed her desperately.  
She took a deep breath and braced herself. She got up from the bed, and went up the stairs to leave her room, located in the basement. It was always cold and sometimes a bit damp, but Peridot didn't care. She liked it better than any other room in the house. She preferred to feel invisible.  
Peridot reached the huge dining room table. She didn't understand why they used that table and not a smaller one, but she wasn't going to discuss it any more. The only time she had done it, her mother had told her it was none of her business.  
She sat in the usual place, at the corner of the table, in front of her sister, who of course didn't look up from her cell phone.  
"Wow, it's the autistic girl" Blaine said, still not looking at her.  
Peridot didn't reply, but she noticed how the housekeeper, who was setting the table, pursed her lips. Mrs. Demuth didn't like Blaine much. Instead, as she passed Peridot, she gave her a sweet smile and patted her on the shoulder.  
Peridot felt a small chill in the back as she heard the sound of heels approaching. Her mother entered the dining room, and sat at the head of the table. It was until then that Blaine left her cell phone. Deep down, she was also afraid of her mother. Like Peridot. Like as everyone in school. The worst thing that could happen to someone was that they sent you to Yellow Diamond's office.  
"Mommy, I'm glad to see you" Blaine said, in her sweet voice she only used with her mother "The girls planned an outing tonight... you know, there's a party and... I was wondering if you'd give me permission to go with them"  
"Is Kevin going to bring you back?" their mother asked  
"Of course. And not too late, I promise"  
"Ok, you can go"  
Peridot was envious of how easy it was to Blaine. Especially when she knew that Blaine and her stupid boyfriend weren't going to a party.  
"Thanks mommy! You're the best" Blaine exclaimed, with her idiot smile  
Well, it was now or never. Peridot cleared her throat and said timidly "Umm... Mom?"  
The expression on her mother's face changed immediately. She became more serious, as if she were prepared for Peridot to say something inappropriate. "I have told you a thousand times not to talk under your breath. What do you want?"  
"Umm... I was wondering if... I could go out with a friend tomorrow"  
Blaine chuckled and said "You don't have any friends"  
Peridot blushed and said "Shut up, you clod!"  
"Enough" their mother ordered "So... a friend?"  
"Yes... A girl from school... I was wondering if I could go out with her... Maybe I'll go to her house, I don't know"  
"And where does that friend of yours live?"  
"I think near the docks"  
Blaine gave a contemptuous expression. Her mother raised her eyebrows. Peridot understood why. She also knew that this was a poor neighborhood where the fishermen lived.  
"I guess I'll let you go" her mother said at last. "But I want you here before sunset, do you understand?"  
Peridot smiled widely and exclaimed "Wow, thanks!"  
Blaine rolled her eyes and looked away. Peridot had never felt so happy, she could even say that dinner with her family wasn't going to be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! Thanks for your comments :3


	11. Mirrors Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter :c I'm sorry guys

_She had thought that things with Peridot had been resolved. But it wasn't like that. That morning, when she saw her in the lockers, the blonde decided to ignore her completely, even though she called her name a couple of times. Peritod leave that place as if Lapis were invisible._  
_That had hurt her deeply, Pearl had been right... Pearl! She saw her turn around the corner of the corridor, and went to her to take the opportunity to apologize. But when she reached her side, Pearl saw her and tried to flee._  
_"Pearl! Wait a second!" she said_  
_"Forget it" Pearl replied "Is very clear to me that you don't care 'bout what I think"_  
_"But..."_  
_"Ah, I see. Peridot left you, didn't she?"_  
_"No, she just..."_  
_At that moment, she felt a sharp blow to the eye, and she felt the blood running down her face again. Aquamarine was beside her, laughing at her, and Pearl only watched her before leaving, indifferent to what had just happened._  
_"Pearl!" Lapis exclaimed, but only saw the girl walking away._  
_She felt another blow to the face. This time Aquamarine had kicked her, and she felt the blood seeping into her nose and drowning her. She didn't breathe fresh air, only the liquid and the ferrous odor._  
_Suddenly someone lifted her by taking her by the hair, and met aunt Xanthe's cold eyes. The woman began to walk, dragging Lapis. She led her to the door of the janitor's closet, where she had hidden that time. On one side of the door, aunt Bianca looked at her and said, "I thought you wouldn't get in trouble any more. You'll have your punishment for this... I'm very disappointed"_  
_Lapis was just going to say that she hadn't did anything, when she realized that her mother was there too. Her blue eyes were filled with sadness, and she shook her head before looking away._  
_"Mom!" Lapis exclaimed "I didn't do anything!"_  
_But it seemed that no one was listening. Aunt Xanthe opened the door and threw her inside. Lapis fell to the floor, as the door closed. Inside there was only darkness. Darkness, and the smell of blood that wouldn't let her breathe. Lapis screamed desperately, when the lights went on._  
_It wasn't a closet anymore. She was in a very small room whose walls, ceiling and floor were mirrors. Mirrors that reflected each other, making infinite tunnels. Lapis screamed even louder. She hadn't done anything wrong, and was there again. She struck the mirrors with her fists, but only managed to smash them and hurt her hands. From her face and hands flowed streams of blood, which began to flood the room. Lapis screamed and looked at the mirrors, but she only saw dozens of girls like her, desperate, screaming, and it seemed that suddenly someone else would peek in one of the many reflections. The blood almost reached her neck, and she kept shouting "Mom, get me out of here!" until the blood got into the mouth and nose and..._

Lapis woke up, screaming and heart pounding in her chest, rising from the bed suddenly. It had been a dream, just a dream...  
She felt she was covered in a cold sweat and with the urge to vomit But nothing had been real. It was fine. She was in bed, everything was fine...  
The mirrors room. Years had passed and Lapis never thought about it. She had forgotten. She felt terribly frightened. She had spent months in therapy, and now she had those dreams again?  
She took a deep breath. She shouldn't be scared. She wasn't gonna see that room again. She knew it. Her mother had promised it. She will be fine. Everything was fine. Then why was she crying so distressed?  
She tried to calm down. It had only been a silly dream. Nothing was real, no matter how real she might have felt. Fuck, even the blow and the smell and taste of blood felt very real. She put a hand to her face to wipe away her tears, but she felt a thick liquid. No, the smell of blood was still there.  
She turned on the light and saw that her hand was full of blood. She turned quickly and saw that her pillow and sheets, once white, were stained red. And she understood why the blow had felt so real.  
"AUNTIE!" she cried out, scared

* * *

The official diagnosis had been that Lapis had been very restless for the nightmare, so much that provoked that stitches opened.  
Once again, the doctor sutured the wound, and this time she had a gauze to avoid an accident when she went back to sleep.  
Now Lapis was sitting at the examination table, waiting for the effect of anesthesia to pass. She was trembling with cold. it was close to 4:00 in the morning and she was just wearing her pajamas. She hadn't even worn shoes, in the panic and fear she hadn't cared about.  
She was so frightened. She couldn't help but think in the mirrors room, she could almost hear her screams ringing in her ears. Why did she have to remember it? She thought that was out of her mind.  
The door opened, and her aunt entered. She looked very tired, and Lapis felt guilty for giving her so much trouble.  
"How do you feel, honey?" the woman asked  
Lapis shrugged. Aunt Bianca took off her long white coat and put it on Lapis as a blanket.  
"I knew you shouldn't go home! Imagine if you had been alone" aunt Bianca said  
"Sorry to make you wake up, auntie" Lapis said  
"Nonsense" the woman replied, hugging Lapis by the shoulders  
Lapis leaned her head on her aunt's shoulder, still feeling slightly dizzy. But for the first time since she woke up, she felt safe.  
"So were you having a nightmare?" her aunt asked  
Lapis nodded. She felt a cold sweat running down her back.  
"Is something wrong? People don't have nightmares without a reason"  
Lapis wanted to tell her about the mirrors, and about the story behind it. But she couldn't. Instead, her mind traveled to the only part of the dream that could be real. "I behaved very badly with a friend"  
"What happened?"  
"I think I was rude to her. I apologized and she said it was fine, but I feel very guilty"  
"Are you talking about Pearl? I've seen you very close to her"  
Lapis nodded.  
"She's an adorable girl. I assure you that if she said that everything was fine between you, it's true"  
The girl nodded again. Aunt Bianca released her and pulled out her cell phone, saying "I should call your mother to let her know about this..."  
"No!" Lapis exclaimed  
Aunt Bianca looked at her for a few seconds. Then quietly asked "Why not, honey?"  
"I wouldn't want to disturb her..." Lapis replied, muttering.  
"She won't be angry if I call her for something related with you"  
"Can it be later? I really don't wanna worried her for this"  
"She'll be more worried to know that we didn't tell her immediately. Honey, is your mother. She wants to know everything that happens to you"  
Lapis looked at the floor and said "She hasn't called me since she scolded me"  
"What?"  
"She scolded me for the fight. I told her I had been in the hospital and all that, but she didn't call me again to know how I am. She don't care to much 'bout this... "  
Aunt Bianca looked at her for a few seconds. Then she stroked Lapis' hair with one hand and said, "I see... You're sad 'cause your mother didn't call you yet, right?"  
Lapis hadn't thought so. But yes, it was true. She said nothing. She shrugged.  
"Honey, lately your mother is very stressed about all the things she has to fix, maybe these two days she had so much work that she couldn't find the right time to call you"  
"She must be very angry with me" Lapis said, with a knot in her throat. "I told her I could take care of myself and I'm disappointing her"  
"You're not disappointing her. You made a mistake, all of us do it from time to time"  
"I must not make mistakes. I don't want her to repent"  
"You don't want her to regret what?"  
Lapis opened her mouth to respond, but the words didn't come out. But it wasn't necessary, 'cause her silence made Bianca understand. The woman made Lapis look into her eyes. "She would never regret it, Lazuli"  
Lapis nodded and looked down again. Her aunt continued stroking her hair and added, "You're an exceptional girl. If Azura regret it, I'd adopt you"  
Lapis laughed at the joke. "Thanks" she said at last, embracing her aunt.  
She felt as her aunt lifted some strands of her hair and commented "Look at these... You really need a good haircut"  
"Can we wait until it grow a little? I don't want to end up looking like Blaine"  
Aunt Bianca laughed and put away her cell phone, saying "Surely your mother can wait until dawn to know about this, huh?"

* * *

The rest of the night had been really awful. They had returned to the house, changed the blood-stained sheets, and her aunt had asked her to try to sleep.  
But she couldn't do it. She kept thinking about everything she had dreamed of. What would happen if Peridot ignored her again? If Pearl never spoke to her again? In which Aquamarine would continue to annoy her. In her fear of disappointing her family... And in the fucking mirrors room. She wasn't scared of that room anymore. She was scared for remembered it. Or more than scared, she was surprised. It had been years, after all, but she had completely forgotten it, as if it had never happened. Of course, therapy had helped a lot. But it was very strange anyway. She hadn't forgotten her past completely, but now that she thought about it, she had forgotten all the negative parts. It was as if those bad memories were video files, and someone just deleted them from their hard drive. And now, someone was restoring that.  
But at the same time, she remembered her mother promising to a little Lapis that she would never see that room again. And Lapis had believed her, and still believed her.  
The result had been the same, she hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Maybe she fell asleep a couple of times, a period of about 30 minutes each, but nothing more. When she finally surrendered, she had taken her cell phone and headphones and stayed in bed listening music. And she stayed there, very sleepy but unable to sleep, until at last dawn. Then she got out of bed, not taking off her headphones, and went out on the terrace to see the landscape.  
The soft sun rays reflected their orange color in the ocean, in which in the distance the shapes of a pair of ships were barely visible, while the sky showed different shades of blue, and a few stars were still visible here and there. It was something amazing to see, especially while she listened to the right songs.  
She sat down on one of the pool chairs, glancing at the pool. She wasn't going to get in, she knew it was forbidden, but her body almost screamed that she needed to swim. She had spent only a couple of days without swim, and already felt that it was an eternity without doing it.  
She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. It was Saturday! She usually woke up around 10:00 in the mormimg, and there she was... She took off her headphones and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves in the distance and to the seagulls...

* * *

"Lazuli ... Lazuli ..."  
Lapis woke up suddenly, only to meet her aunt, who left a sandwich and a glass of juice on the table.  
"How long have you been here, honey?" the woman asked  
"I came here at dawn" Lapis asked, rubbing her head "What time's it?"  
"10:00 am. It's lucky, you don't have sunburns yet. I see you could sleep at least"  
Lapis nodded. She took her cell phone and saw that she had a Peridot message since about an hour. She opened it, thinking she would tell her that she couldn't attend her date, but instead ...

P: Mom gave me permission! Where do I see you?

Lapis smiled broadly and wrote:

L: At 11 in funland?

"You look very happy, honey" aunt Bianca commented  
Lapis chuckled, and her cell phone rang.

P: I thought you would never answer! But it's fine :3

L: Sorry, I fell asleep. See you there

"I'm going to leave at 11" she informed her aunt  
"And where will you go?" the woman asked  
"I'm going out with a friend"  
"Pearl?"  
"No... Another friend"  
"Okay, but take your breakfast or you won't go anywhere, young lady"  
"Thanks auntie"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! It was an awful week at school, but I promise I'll update on Tuesday :3  
> You may be wondering... But the time to talk about Lapis' past more in detail will come later ;)


	12. About A Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spending time with you soulmate is the best thing in life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STOP! Are you sure you read the previous chapter? I uploaded it on Thursday, which is unusual, and I don't want you to miss anything about the story. If you already read it, go ahead -w- Sorry, it's another short chapter :'v

Lapis was so excited about the idea of spending the day with Peridot, that in less than she expected she had already bathed, dressed and left almost running towards Funland. In fact, she arrived a little early, and sat down to wait in one of the pews. She was so happy that she forgot the nightmare and the pain in her eye, and just to think of Peri she smiled and got nervous.  
She didn't want to look desperate, so to control herself a bit, she put on her headphones to listen music, but the truth was that she wasn't even paying attention to what she was hearing.  
It didn't take long for her to feel a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and felt her heart stop to see Peridot. Lapis loved Peridot's tomboy style. She wore brown cargo shorts, black sneakers and a green t-shirt with an alien print. Her blond hair was very messy, as usual, and she smiled shyly as she pushed her huge glasses, which had slipped to the tip of her nose.  
"Hi!" Lapis said, perhaps sounding more enthusiastic than she would have liked, taking off her headphones  
"Hi Lapis" Peridot replied, sitting next to her "I thought you wouldn't be here yet"  
"I didn't wanna make you wait. How are you?"  
"Fine. I'm happy that our plans came out as we expected. What do you listen to?"  
"Nirvana"  
Peridot looked puzzled. Lapis arched an eyebrow and asked "Don't you know Nirvana?"  
"Oh yeah... Smells Like Teen Spirit... right?"  
"I guess it's the most famous... But yeah"  
"Oh... I don't know much about rock, I'm sorry. I don't really know much about music..."  
"Are you kidding me?"  
"Uhh... No. I think you really love music, huh?"  
"Music is the most important thing in my life! It's something amazing... But I'll have time to teach you the good music later. Tell me, where you wanna go?"  
Peridot looked at the rides with a hint of fear in her eyes and replied "Some where I can't die, please"  
Lapis giggled and replied "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise"  
"Okay, I'll trust you"

* * *

Trusting Lapis wasn't a bad idea at all. At least she saw it like that. She had persuaded Peridot to go up to almost all the rides, though there was no way to get her to ride the roller coaster. Anyway, she didn't reached the minimum height, and Lapis didn't stop making jokes about that.  
One way or another, Peridot looked very happy. She hadn't stopped smiling all day, and even she ran to a couple of attractions. Lapis was very happy to see her like this, she didn't remember seeing her so moved.  
When they went up to almost every ride in the park, Lapis proposed that they sit down to eat. There were fast food trucks, they decided to go to one where they sold hamburgers.  
Precisely, Lapis sat at the table in front of Peri, carrying the tray with hamburgers, fries and soda.  
"Lapis..." Peridot began to say.  
"No, we already discussed it. I brought you, I invite the food" Lapis interrupted, smiling  
Peridot smiled sheepishly and hid her eyes. How could anyone be so adorable? It was something so rare for Lapis... normally she didn't pay much attention to people, she didn't consider herself a romantic person... But now ...  
"Mom would go crazy" Peridot commented, unwrapping her burger "She won't let me eat junk food"  
"Junk food?" Lapis said "If you think about it, this is meat, vegetables, bread... Healthy things, you know"  
Peridot giggled and began to eat. Lapis looked at her smiling a few seconds and then said "I guess your mom is strict"  
"Mmm... yes, a little" Peri replied "But I guess she just want to protect me, right?"  
"I guess so. My mother isn't very strict, but I try not to make her angry. Or I'll regret it "  
"And your dad?"  
"I don't have dad. Well, I guess I have one like everyone else, but... We're just mom and I "  
"I don't have a dad either. Mom has never told me about him"  
"Maybe things didn't end well between them"  
"Maybe. But tell me about yourself... Where did you live before moving here? "  
"In the north. It's strange. Moving from cold weather to heat..."  
"Don't trust. It will start to get cold. Didn't you sleep well? You look very tired "  
"I... I had a nightmare that woke me up, that's all"  
Lapis put her hair behind her ears, and also began to eat. She noticed Peridot staring at her, but then she turned away as if she hadn't.  
"I had so much fun" Peri said "I had never come here"  
"Really?" Lapis said, arching an eyebrow "But... I thought you had always lived here"  
"Yes, but I had never come"  
"Why?"  
"I guess I had no one to come with"  
Lapis looked at her with a questioning look. Peridot cleared her throat, looking away and continued "I don't like people very much... I... I don't have many friends. Well, I talk to the guys in the robotics club but... "  
She didn't continue. She blushed a little and took a sip of her soda.  
"Oh, I... I'm sorry" Lapis said, not knowing what else to say  
"No, no" Peridot replied "I know that many people should think that it must be sad to always be alone. But really, I don't like to have people around... I like to have my space, you understand? Especially at school. They're all clods"  
Lapis laughed a little. She still didn't have something smart to say. Peri smiled a little and said "Except you. You are not a clod"  
"Thanks" Lapis said, smiling. "So you don't mind having me around, do you?"  
"I really like having you around. You are... Nice"  
Lapis smiled, staring at her. Peridot seemed to panic, stammered some syllables and said "Yo ... I guess you had a lot of friends in your old school, didn't you?"  
"A few" Lapis said, shrugging.  
"And a boyfriend?"  
Lapis could see the expectant gaze in Peridot's eyes. She shrugged again and replied "Maybe"  
"Ohh..."  
"I like him, but it wasn't really serious... We broke up 'cause well, I was gonna move"  
"Do you miss him?"  
"I guess so... But not because of our relationship or something. We're good friends before, we agreed to continue being now"  
Peridot nodded. Lapis hoped that question was because she had an interest in... _"No Lapis, don't think about it ... We just went out to have fun. She doesn't care... "_  
"Can I ask you something?" Peri asked  
"Of course"  
"Why did you talk to me? I mean... In all these years no one ever... You know... Specially someone I just met "  
"Do you want me to be honest with you?"  
"Yes, please"  
"I think you're cute"  
Peridot blushed. Lapis smiled a little "Then I realized that not only were you cute. You are also intelligent and interesting"  
"I'm not cute. I think it's you who needs these glasses"  
"You need new ones. Those are broken "  
"Oh yeah... Mom said she wouldn't buy me others until next year. I always break them, I'm too clumsy "  
"A very pretty clumsy"  
"STOP"  
Lapis giggled, while Peridot grunted and tried to hide it by paying close attention to her fries.

* * *

Finally, the time to say goodbye came. Of course, when they're going out, Lapis couldn't help but notice how Peridot was looking at some huge alien plushes that were a prize in the ring toss. She didn't ask anything, only went there, begging not to fail... and she didn'ot. The result had been that she had a very happy Peridot at her side, who carried her alien with a big smile.  
"I think it's even bigger than you"  
"Stop joking about my height. Someday I'll grow up and be taller than you and I'll laugh in your face"  
"I think we stopped growing at 18"  
"How lucky I'm 16"  
Lapis stopped. Peridot went ahead a few steps, but turned and said, with a wry smile "Is something wrong?"  
"You're 16?"  
"Yep. I skipped a couple of years for my IQ and stuff. My sister was furious!"  
"Wow... Well, that explains a lot, little Peri"  
"Like what?"  
"Why you look so adorable"  
"You're not gonna stop with that, are you?"  
"Nope"  
They arrived at the bus stop, where Peri was going to take the bus to go home. Lapis would have wanted to accompany her to her house, but it was apparent that Peridot really cared if her mother saw them together, even if they weren't doing anything wrong. That's why she didn't insist, but she was just happy to be with her.  
"Thank you very much for everything, Lapis" Peri said suddenly. "I never thought that going out with someone was so much fun"  
"We can go out as many times as you want" Lapis said. "I had a great time with you"  
"I would like it very much"  
Lapis saw the bus approaching, and she regretted that this time it hadn't taken so long.  
Peridot hugged her quickly and said "I'll see you on Monday"  
"Of course. See you, Peri "  
"Bye, Lapis. I'll send you a message "  
Peri climbed the first step of the bus and said "I promise to listen to Nirvana"  
"It would be amazing"  
The bus closed its doors and walked away. Lapis stood there until she saw it disappear. Then she involuntarily released a "YEAH" and struck the air. Then she went to her aunt's house, with a huge smile on her face. It seemed impossible that she had been worried about a silly dream.

* * *

_POV Peridot_  
Never, but never before in her life had she felt like this. Peridot was so happy about everything that had happened that she didn't even care that her mother would reprimand her for being late (even though she was still on time).  
She opened the door and was determined to lock herself in her room, when she heard a voice that said "Where are you going, idiot?"  
But even Blaine wasn't going to ruin the day. She ignored her and went to her room, but on the way her sister caught up with her and snatched the alien, saying "What the hell is this?"  
"Give me it!" Peridot said, retrieving her toy and embracing it even stronger.  
"Let me guess. You spend the day with that blue hair idiot, didn't you?"  
"She's not an idiot!"  
"She must be to wanna hang out with you. I think she lost a bet or something"  
Peridot blushed and went on her way. Blaine chuckled and said, "Do you think if I start talking to her, her'd rather get lunch with me? I mean, she could be with the popular girls or with the school freak. What do you think? "  
"I think you can go and fuck yourself"  
"Take care of your language, little Peri, or mommy will be very angry"  
"Screw you"  
"We'll see if your friend keep talking to you when she meet better people"  
Peridot said nothing. She entered her room and closed the door before going down the stairs and throwing herself on the bed. She let out a big sigh and hugged the alien. It seemed to her that it had the scent of Lapis' perfume. Or maybe it was just her imagination.  
Blaine was a clod, Lapis would never stop talking to her for being with Blaine and her friends. There was no way that would happen, would it?  
She hugged the alien more tightly. Love was something that Peridot had never understood. Was that what she was beginning to feel for Lapis?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your comments, guys :3


	13. A Day In The Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ♫ _It's getting better all the time_ ♫

Monday morning was bad enough for anyone, and the fact that Lapis started the day being pushed by Aquamarine to one of the gardens didn't help much to motivate her to start the week. At least Aunt Bianca didn't see her, 'cause she didn't want Aquamarine to upset her because the principal had defended her. She didn't know how long she was going to bear it. But she had no choice.  
Anyway, the rest of the weekend had been good. Peridot sent messages more often and lasted a long time talking. Then Lapis finally got a call from her mother, who apologized saying that she had been busy. Lapis supposed that Aunt Bianca had told her about their talk about her insecurities. Anyway, it was good for her to listen to her mom.  
The only bad thing about spending the nights at Aunt Bianca's house was that she had to get up much earlier to go to school. Having so much free time would be better if you had to share it with.  
"Hey!" somebody exclaimed behind her, making her startle "Haha, don't be scared!" Amethyst said, sitting next to her  
"That's no way to say 'hello'" Lapis complained, giving her a little push "How are you?"  
"Well, it was a boring weekend. I found your facebook profile"  
"What?"  
Amethyst pulled out her phone and looked for it before showing Lapis the screen. In fact it was her facebook profile, where she appeared as Lapis LD.  
"I wasn't sure it was yours" Amethyst explained, sending her a friend request. "It's full of photos of a long-haired girl"  
"That's me, you silly" Lapis said.  
"Yeah, that's what Pearl said. You look great with long hair, by the way"  
"Pearl?"  
"Yes, she was with me yesterday. What did you do to her, by the way?"  
"W-why?"  
"She seemed a bit... uncomfortable talking about you"  
"I don't know..."  
"Yeah, she's just crazy. It wasn't easy to find you"  
"You could ask me like normal people do" Lapis mocked, pulling out her cell phone to accept the request "Amatista Salda... Salda..."  
"Saldaña" Amethyst completed "That's my name, dude"  
"Your name's Amatista?"  
"Yeah! But everybody calls me Amethyst. Same gem, different language"  
"Are you from Mexico, right?"  
"Yep, but I live here since I was 5"  
"That's pretty cool. How do you pronounce you last name?"  
"Saldaña? You know, it's like... The sound of 'n' and 'y' together"  
"I don't understand"  
"Me either. Forget it"  
"Okay Amatista"  
"Nice... Hey, look! Here comes your girlfriend"  
Lapis turned to where Amethyst was pointing, and saw the little blonde walking toward them. She couldn't help but smile.  
"Hi Lapis" Peri said when arriving with them "Hi Amethyst"  
"Hey P-Dot!" Amethyst said, getting to her feet "I told Lapis that I should look for Garnet. I'll see you later girls!"  
Amethyst winked and left. Lapis had blushed a little, but managed to stay calm and said "Hi Peri, how are you?"  
"Fine. I've been listening to Nirvana"  
"And? What do you think?"  
"It's nice"  
"Nice? Are you using the word 'nice' to describe Nirvana?"  
Peridot laughed and shrugged, saying "I liked it. There are some songs that I liked a lot, but some are a little intense for me"  
"If you think that's intense, I'm not even gonna talk about heavy metal"  
"Well... I like it 'cause it's something that you really like. Listening to Nirvana made me think of you"  
Oh man, why did she say such beautiful things? Lapis ran her fingers through the hair on the back of her neck, praying that she hadn't blushed.  
"How's your eye?" Peri asked  
"It still hurts a little, but it's nothing. I hope it heals soon, 'cause I want to go swimming"  
"You have to wait for... Two weeks?"  
"Yeah, maybe I can join you in those hours when I should be training"  
"Only if you like robotics"  
"I don't know very much, but you can show me. Just like you did with my music"  
"I would be delighted if you accompanied me"  
"Great! Let's go to our lockers, it's almost time to go to class"  
The girls walked to the lockers. Lapis was pretty good, at least until they reached the hallway where their lockers were. She stopped dead almost at the sight of the door of the janitor's closet. Cold sweat ran down her spine as she remembered her nightmare.  
"Lapis?" Peridot said, putting a hand on her shoulder "Are you okay?"  
Lapis didn't answer. She could almost smell the blood, and her heart quickened as she imagined herself locked in the mirrors room.  
"Lapis?"  
"What?"  
"Are you okay? You're scaring me"  
Lapis stopped seeing the door and looked at Peridot. She felt a lump in her throat when she saw at Peri's worried green eyes.  
"I'm fine" Lapis said, trying to smile.  
"Are you sure?"  
Lapis nodded, putting her hand on Peri's. The blonde blushed slightly and drew a nervous smile.  
"I have to run" Peri said, going to her locker for her things "My teacher arrives very early to the classroom"  
"Okay, I'll see you later"  
"Sure... Are you sure you're okay?"  
"Yes, really"  
Peri waved her hand and ran off. Lapis watched her until she disappeared into the corner of the corridor. Then she took her locker, and looked again at the door of the janitor's closet.  
It wasn't real. There was nothing behind it more than brooms. She had nothing to fear...  
The bell rang, scaring Lapis. She wasn't going to let a stupid dream torment her every time she wanted to get something out of her locker...  
"Hey, Miss Diamond"  
Lapis turned, and her blood froze at the sight of Agate. She had uttered Lapis' name in an exaggerated and mocking tone, and looked at her with a sly smile.  
"You won't wanna be late for your class, rigth?"  
Lapis didn't answer. She just ran away, feeling the rare need to flee from Agate's sight.

* * *

Lapis had no problems for the rest of the morning. Being with Peridot really helped to make her forget her problems and concerns...  
Well, except for one. Throughout the morning, Pearl was avoiding her. It wasn't that she completely ignored her, but she was trying to get out fast of the classrooms and didn't look at her directly. Lapis knew she should talk to her, but she couldn't find the right time. She had thought about doing it at lunchtime, but Peri wouldn't be encouraged to go to lunch with the crystal gems yet, and leaving Peridot alone wasn't an option. Pearl wasn't going to want to talk to her during classes, and Lapis was to stay in detention.  
But she'd have time to think about it. For now, as soon as the bell rang, Lapis went to her locker to leave her things. Peridot was in hers, stand on tiptoes trying to put everything in the highest part. Lapis walked toward her, when someone stopped her. She was surprised to see that it was Blaine.  
"Hi Lazuli, how are you?" Blaine greeted her with a smile.  
Lapis looked at her for a few seconds, trying to see what she was up to, but in the end she said "I'm fine"  
"Excellent! I was wondering if you want to have lunch with me and my friends"  
"Just last Friday you were making fun of me"  
"Yes, I know, and I'm very sorry. I've behaved very badly with you without knowing you, and I'd like to fix that. What do you say?"  
"Well... Thanks for the invitation, but I already had plans for today..."  
"Oh, okay. No problem. Maybe another day?"  
"Sure... Thanks"  
"See you"  
Lapis watched her walk away. Had Blaine knowed that she was her cousin and that was why she wanted to be nice? No, that didn't make sense, since Aunt Xanthe hated her. Unless Aunt Bianca had spoken to her.  
Lapis reached her locker and opened it.  
"What did she say?" Peri asked  
"She invited me to lunch with her" Lapis replied "I don't know why suddenly she wants to be nice to me"  
"And what did you say?"  
"I said no, of course. I already have a date with you, don't I?"  
Peridot smiled and handed her a paper bag "If you'd rather go with her..."  
"Of course not! She didn't bring me lunch. Besides, I'll always prefer to be with you, little gremlin"  
Peri smiled sheepishly, and her cheeks turned slightly pink.

* * *

"So you could say Nirvana is your favorite band?" Peri asked  
"I don't know if I have a favorite band actually. Although lately I've been hearing too much of them"  
"Then you have a favorite band from time to time"  
"I could say yes"  
"And are there any that you always like?"  
"The Beatles. I guess you've heard some of them, haven't you?"  
"Yes, I think so"  
"They're great 'cause they always have a song for every moment"  
"What song do you have for when you see me?"  
Lapis got very nervous and immediately thought _I've Just Seen A Face_. She didn't say it, though.  
"I don't know, I must think" she lied  
"You're blushing, why are you blushing? You're so weird..."  
"I'm not blushing, shut up. Do you think I'm weird? At least I don't have robots hidden in my locker"  
"Oh, you don't make fun of them when they destroy the world!"  
Lapis chuckled. Again, they were having lunch under a tree. There was some boys playing with a football ball, and a few small groups having lunch here and there. Some seemed surprised to see Lapis and Peridot together. Or maybe it was 'cause Peridot was outside and without her laptop, who knows.  
"Listen, I know I've told you several times... But I really enjoy being with you" Peridot said, without looking at her. Lapis smiled, and Peridot gave her a quick glance before saying "You are ... not nasty"  
"You're also not nasty"  
"WATCH OUT"  
Lapis and Peridot turned right to see the ball hit a guy who drank water from a bottle in the face, causing him to soak. Lapis couldn't help it and started to laugh out loud, but immediately tried to calm down. Peridot looked at her smiling and said, "What was that?"  
Lapis shook her head, unable to stop laughing. The problem with her laughter is that she snort as she laughs.  
"Is that your normal laugh?"  
"I hate it" Lapis said, still laughing a little  
"It's the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard"  
Lapis looked away, pleading not to be flushed. They had been many times in a single day.

* * *

When the recess was over, Lapis said goodbye to Peridot and headed for her classroom. She turned in the corridor just to see how Pearl was coming too. That was her chance. Lapis ran to her, took her wrist without saying anything and ran.  
"Lapis, what...?" Pearl began.  
"Just follow me" Lapis said, without pausing.  
"It's not funny, we're gonna be late"  
Having no idea where to go, Lais went to the first place she remembered, and that was the janitor's closet. When she reached that door, she hesitated a bit, but took a deep breath and opened the door, only to find herself in what was, a dark closet. No mirrors in sight.  
She walked in with Pearl, and closed the door with the lock.  
"What the hell are you doing?" Pearl asked, looking at Lapis as if she were crazy "We have class"  
"You've been avoiding me all day" Lapis said  
"Of course not, we just haven't had a chance to talk. And it's not at this time, so... "  
"We're not going to leave here until we talk"  
"Lapis, we have to go to class"  
"We don't have to. Nobody'll know"  
"What the..?"  
"We'll be fine! I promise"  
"But... Ah, okay. Say it now "  
"Why are you avoiding me?"  
"I swear I'm not avoiding you. You're crazy"  
"Then tell me what's going on! I already asked you for forgiveness"  
"I'm not angry"  
"So?"  
Pearl didn't answer. Lapis was beginning to despair. Or maybe she should stop insisting.  
"It's okay" Pearl said at las. "I'm sorry you thought I was angry. I never was."  
"I'm sorry I was rude to you, I know I've told you so many times but... I really feel bad"  
"You don't have to feel this way. I told you there was no problem"  
"It is that there was. My stupid attitude is a big problem"  
"No, it's not like that. I also made a comment that could be rude, I know I shouldn't get into your bussines and..."  
"You wanted to advise me, and instead of thanking you I..."  
"Hey, if you're happy, I'm happy too"  
Pearl put her hand on Lapis' shoulder. She smiled, and hugged her quickly.  
"I'm sorry for kidnapping you from class"  
"Hey, maybe Mr. Morris will still let us in"  
"Maybe"  
Lapis unlocked the door and tried to open it, but...  
"What's wrong?" Pearl asked  
"I can't open it"  
"What?"  
"I can't"  
"Let me try"  
Lapis stepped aside, and Pearl struggled a little with the door. Then she turned to Lapis "Tell me this is one of your jokes"  
"Sure Pearl, you got me! I love locking myself in dark closets!"  
"What are we gonna do?!"  
"Calm down, it's okay. We have to wait for someone to open us from the outside "  
"Who?"  
"I don't know, the janitor or..."  
"We're going to get in trouble if the janitor catches us here"  
"Calm down! I'll text Amethyst. She can "go to the bathroom" and come here, right? "  
"Okay..."  
Lapis sat on the floor, taking out her cell phone and writing the call for help. Pearl sat down next to her, suspiciously. "Couldn't you wait for a better time to talk to me?"  
"Nope" Lapis replied "I wanted to end this already. You're very important to me"  
"That's something very nice coming from someone who has a scar from a fight"  
"Amethyst already answered me"  
"What does she say?"  
"She can't leave right now, but as soon as the class is over she'll save us"  
Pearl groaned. Lapis chuckled and said "Hey, it's not so bad. At least you're with me "  
"No, I'm here BECAUSE of you"  
"Hey, it can be an experience that strengthens our friendship or something"  
"Lapis... you're an idiot"  
"Maybe. But you love me "  
Lapis' phone buzzed again, and they both read the new message from Amethyst:

_How ironic that you two are trapped in the closet ;)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Sorry, but you'll see more song references in the title :v  
> Hey guys, would you like me to create a "ask to the characters" blog on tumblr? I mean, I think they've become popular and all that. Let me know what you think :3  
> As always, thank you very much for reading and for your comments :3


	14. Say It Ain't So

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everything is happiness in Lapis' world

A couple of weeks passed, and things between Lapis and Peridot went very well. It was strange to think how Peridot was like before, so quiet and afraid to socialize. Now that she had confidence with Lapis, she turned out to be a very tender and funny girl. When she talked about things that interested her, like robots or computers, she seemed to have a PhD in the subject. And yet, when Lapis told her about new things, like music, she had a childlike curiosity.  
It took her a while to realize that Peridot had Asperger syndrome. In fact she didn't realize until everything became so obvious, but she first asked Pearl if she knew anything. Pearl had answered that it was true, and that was why many people treated her badly or preferred to ignore her. Lapis simply didn't understand how people could be so stupid. But it all made sense now. That explained why some people looking at her very strange, or as some spoke to her as if they were afraid she wouldn't understand. She wondered if those people had at least the slightest idea of how the syndrome is.  
The day when she had to talk about it with Peridot came. She told it directly. Peridot had become a little sad. She began to say that she understood that she was treated differently, and said she would understand if Lapis no longer wanted to talk to her. Lapis had embraced her and assured her that knowing it didn't affect the way she saw her, and that she was her favorite person in the world.  
She felt that it had served to unite them even more. Peridot was always very happy to see her, and they were together most of the time. As Lapis couldn't go swimming, she had gone with Peridot to the robotics club, made up of Peri and three other guys who were the stereotype of a nerd. They were indeed very tender boys who were blushing only to see Lapis the first few times, but then Lapis began to ask questions about their work, and that was how they finally encouraged themselves to talk to her.  
There were even a couple of times when Lapis and Peridot hang out in the afternoon. Peridot was still a bit afraid to ask permission from her mother. But c'mon, since Peridot wasn't very sociable, surely her mother would be glad to see her interact more with a friend... or not?  
Lapis had returned home, though there were days when she spent the night at Aunt Bianca's house. She really enjoyed her aunt's company, she was a very interesting woman who had visited many places, but was almost always busy directing her school empire. Still, she always gave herself time to talk to Lapis. She wondered how Bianca and Xanthe were sisters. Lapis hadn't run into Aunt Xanthe much, sometimes she saw her from afar, and the only real interaction they had had in those weeks was once she caught Lapis smoking in the corridor. She thought she was going to punish her, but she only scolded her. Although she would surely love to have an excuse to give her another week of detention.  
In general, all things were going fine... Well, except for one.  
On that day, Lapis was to stay at Aunt Bianca's house. And yes, she enjoyed being with her aunt, but that day wasn't suitable. She would have preferred to go home tonight. A whole week, in fact. But her aunt had insisted, and Lapis had agreed, 'cause if she had refused, she would have suspected more. Just as sure she had noticed.  
Lapis was sitting at the terrace table, doing her homework. The sun was about to hide, the sky had blue and purple tones. Aunt Bianca came in without saying anything, with her cup of coffee. Surely she was taking her break. She sat in the chair next to Lapis and said "We need to talk, honey"  
"Is something wrong?" Lapis asked, not writing more  
"That's exactly what I want to ask you"  
Sure. It was obvious she had noticed. Lapis sighed and released her pen.  
"Everything's fine" Lapis replied, trying to sound convinced  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes... Why do you ask that?"  
"Your mother asked me to take care of you while she's away. I know I don't spend as much time with you as I'd like, but I've been watching you, honey. When you are at school you're happy, but at the moment you stay alone it's as if you were someone else. You look very sad, worried... "  
Lapis shrugged. Her aunt continued, "Do you know what's strange? Your wound healed, but you still have the bruise in your eye "  
Lapis put a hand to her left eye. Her wound was closed, in fact she was going to return to training, but it was true that the bruise was still there, perhaps even bigger.  
"And you know what else is weird?" Aunt Bianca said "Sometimes you come back from school with bruises you didn't have when you left here"  
Lapis shrugged again. This was a conversation she really would have preferred not to have.  
"You know you can tell me who did that, don't you?" Aunt Bianca said sweetly "But I'm pretty sure it's Aquamarine. Lazuli, if you have problems with a bully... "  
"No, it's not like that." Lapis hurriedly replied, "I have no problem with anyone"  
She knew Aunt Bianca didn't believe her. She didn't believe it herself.  
When she made the deal with Aquamarine, Lapis thought it was gonna be easy to take the matter. Yes, she was gonna get a few hits. No prob.  
But it wasn't like that. It was much more than a few blows. Lapis had reached a point she didn't think he would reach: she was afraid of Aquamarine. At first she saw her approach and prepare for what was coming, but those last days had been different. The blows increased, and the insults also. From one day to the next, Lapis found herself trying to avoid bumping into the girl. She felt very bad when she saw her approaching. Earlier, if her bully did something to her, she held a defiant look, but now even bent her head just watching her go. It seemed almost impossible to think that she dared to get into a fight with her. And the worst of all was that Aquamarine realized and took advantage of having made Lapis afraid.  
She had tried to act as if nothing had happened, but the gems had already expressed their concern. Even once Garnet rescued her once Aquamarine was bothering her. Lapis had always been a strong girl, but this had been her choice, and it wasn't easy for her to stay the same as before.  
She knew Peridot had noticed too, but the blonde hadn't said anything to her, and Lapis preferred to keep it that way. As bad as she felt, she tried to look calm and happy when she was with Peridot. And it wasn't that she pretended, she actually felt that way when she was with her.  
She wish it were so easy to look like this now, in front of Aunt Bianca's gray eyes.  
"I didn't say anything to your mother so she wouldn't worry about you. But being this way, we need to figure this out before she gets here and see that we've lied to her, don't you think so?"  
"I have it under control, I promise" Lapis said  
"You can't let her keep treating you like this. You understand, right?"  
Lapis nodded. Aunt Bianca stroked her hair. Lapis held her breath, hoping she wouldn't tell her anything. But...  
"Hey Lazuli, even if your haircut is so strange, I'm sure this wasn't like this this morning" Aunt Bianca said, taking a few locks of Lapis' hair with her fingers  
The girl said nothing. In her mind she remembered the scene that morning. She had been staring at the screen of her cell phone and listening music, when she felt a tug at her hair, and the next thing that happened was that Aquamarine threw some blue hairs as she walked away, with a mocking smile and scissors in her hand. Lapis had brought her hand to the nape of the neck just to feel an area where his hair was to measure an inch or a little less. She barely had time to yell _"Fuck you"_  
"No, I... I cut it like that" Lapis lied.  
"And why would you do that?"  
"It wasn't my best idea..."  
Aunt Bianca looked at her suspiciously. Lapis hastened to continue. "I thought it would look cool and all that, but... I didn't continue. I promise to fix it when that part grows a bit "  
"Lazuli..."  
"I know, it was silly. But it doesn't look too much, does it? "  
Aunt Bianca sighed and ruffled her hair, saying "Go get it fixed soon"  
"Okay"  
"Your mother already told you...?"  
"Oh... yeah..."  
Lapis had been a bit discouraged this afternoon, for a few hours ago her mother had tell her that she might take a few more weeks to arrive. Lapis had told her not to worry, but the truth was that she felt a little sad. She liked being able to fend for herself, but she also missed her mother a lot.  
"C'mon honey... Tomorrow you can return to your training! I know you miss a lot to go swimming"  
"Yes! Maybe mom will be there in time to see me in the first tournament" Lapis said, smiling a little  
"She sure will. So to train hard, honey. Make us feel proud"  
"Of course!"  
"And remember that if you have problems, here I am"  
"Thank you auntie"  
"Well, keep doing your homework, I have to go finish some things. I'll call you when it's dinner time "  
"Okay"  
Lapis continued her homework, while she absently passed her hand where her hair was shorter.

* * *

"Hey, Pearl" Amethyst said, running after her. "But seriously, how do you feel after you get outof the closet?"  
"Can you shut up?"  
Lapis laughted. From the day of the closet incident, Amethyst kept joking about it. Lapis used to follow the game, but Pearl did bother a bit, so Amethyst wasn't going to stop.  
"And how was it, huh?" Amethyst asked  
Pearl sighed and said "I've told you a thousand times, we don't..."  
"It was great!" Lapis exclaimed, causing some girls watched them "Don't deny it, Pearl"  
"You're not helping me"  
"I helped you a lot that day!"  
"You're so funny...! Oh, your hair looks very nice today!"  
Lapis stopped laughing and frowned at her, while Amethyst laughed.  
"You'll see, girls! I'll get to the cafeteria today saying that I finally defeated Jasper" Amethyst exclaimed  
"Oh, are you gonna try again?" Lapis asked  
"It'll happen! I swear"  
"I hope this time she don't hurt you so much" Pearl commented  
"What? I'm gonna hurt her! Anyway, good luck in your training today, Lapis"  
"Thank you. I was already anxious to get back "  
"Anyway, if you think you can hurt yourself..." Pearl started  
"I'll be fine, mom"  
When they turned the corridor, they ran into Peridot, who seemed to be hurrying.  
"Hey! Where are you going so fast, little gremlin?" Lapis asked  
"I was gonna get you! Hello Amethyst, Hello Pearl"  
"Hi Peridot" Pearl said  
"Hey P-Dot!" Amethyst exclaimed "Will you come and have lunch with us? You have to be present when I give the news about me defeating Jasper "  
Peridot turned to Lapis. She smiled and shrugged. Peri smiled shyly, adjusting her glasses and said "Sure... I would like"  
"We'll be glad you're with us!" Pearl said "Lapis says wonderful things about you"  
"Oh yeah?" Peri asked, smiling broadly.  
"Of course!" Lapis replied, blushing a little "Well, why did you look for me?"  
"Well, you said that today you were training again... and I wanted to go with you. Can I?"  
"Of course! Come with me"  
"We'll see you later" Pearl said, waving her hand  
"And we'll celebrate my victory" Amethyst added "Good luck, Lapis!"

* * *

Going back to training was already pretty cool. Doing it with Peridot on the stands cheering her up, it was much better. Lapis felt she was even swimming better than before, and she was praised by the team and the coach.  
Lapis remained in the pool even after everyone left. Her body had missed the water so much that she never wanted to go out. Peridot sat on the floor near the pool, smiling.  
"What do you think?" Lapis asked.  
"You were amazing!" Peridot exclaimed "I didn't think you could swim so fast!"  
"I still have to improve"  
"Can you do better?!"  
"Sure. I have to beat my mark "  
"Wow, you're incredible Lapis"  
"Of course not. Do you want to come in?"  
Peridot shook her head and recoiled a little. Lapis smiled and said,  
"C'mon! You don't gonna have troubles"  
"It's not that... It's very deep and I... I don't know how to swim"  
"Oh! Well, that's no problem. You can hold on to me, I won't let you alone"  
Peridot shook her head energetically, saying "No, maybe later"  
"Fine"  
Lapis came out of the water, sitting on the edge of the pool. Peridot made a strange sound, like a choked cry. Lapis turned around and said "Is everything okay?"  
Peridot was very blushing, and it was especially noticeable 'cause normally her skin was very white. Her eyes were wide.  
"Peri?"  
"I... Nothing"  
Lapis smiled and ran her hands through her wet hair. Peri cleared her throat and said "You have a tattoo on the back"  
"Yeah"  
"Is that a lapislazuli?"  
"Yep"  
Peridot came over and put her hand on Lapis' back. She breathed deeply as she felt the girl's warm hand. She turned back, and found herself right in front of Peri's face. That close, her green eyes looked even bigger and brighter. They were so close that Lapis could feel her breath.  
"Wow" Lapis said in a low voice "You look so beautiful today"  
She felt her nose touch Peridot's. She was so close...  
"It's a nice tatto" Peridot said, leaning back and standing up, her face so red it looked like she was gonna explode  
"Thanks" Lapis said, standing up "Can you waiting for me here? I won't take long in the shower "  
"It's okay" Peri said, pulling a Game Boy Advence out of her pocket "I'll play Yoshi's Island"  
Lapis chuckled, and didn't bother to hide the snort. Peridot smiled and sat on the stands.

* * *

While she was taking a shower, Lapis couldn't stop thinking about how close she was to kissing Peridot... It would have been enough to get ahead of her a couple of inches... It would have been fantastic ...  
No. Of course not, it wouldn't have been. No, that could have ruined everything. Peridot didn't wanna kiss her, otherwise she wouldn't have walked away. No, she was glad she didn't. A little more and she would have ruined everything...  
And what if not? What if Peridot returned the kiss? Peridot liked Lapis, didn't she?  
Of course not. Peridot was just a friend. Nothing else. She had to force herself to stop thinking about something else. Peri was too pure, too cute, was unreachable... She didn't deserve her.  
And if Peridot still wanted her? And if Peri was looking for something else and Lapis was missing out?  
Of course not. They barely had a month to meet, that made no sense.  
Why not? Love doesn't obey rules.  
Love? Did love still exist?  
Of course. She saw it in Peridot's eyes.  
Lapis closed the shower and took a deep breath. She had never felt so confused by anyone.  
She turned to the spot where she had left her towel, but it wasn't there. Great, she had been so distracted by Peridot that she hadn't taken it out of the locker. Well, it didn't matter, there was no one in the locker room. She came out of the shower, hugging herself.  
She felt her heart stop when she saw that her locker was open.  
 _"Shit"_ she thought, moving toward it and opening the door completely. It was totally empty. Neither her backpack, nor her clean clothes, nor her towel... nor her dirty clothes, nor anything.  
"Fuck!" she exclaimed.  
She heard footsteps approaching, and when she heard them close enough, she exclaimed "Wait!"  
"What happens? Are you okay?" Peridot asked from behind the wall, worried. Even the music of the video game was heard in the background  
"Did you see anyone coming in?"  
"No, I was very focused on the game... Need some help? Let me…"  
"Stop! Don't come!"  
"Why?"  
"I-I'm naked"  
"What?"  
"Someone took my clothes, all right?"  
"Oh... oh damn!"  
Lapis heard a couple of steps and saw Peridot's hand peering out of the hallway, holding up her hoodie. "Here. It's huge, it might help"  
Lapis stepped forward and took it. Well, it must have been huge even for her. She put it on her wet skin. Well, it could work for now, since it did fit enough.  
"Can I go now?"  
"I think so"  
Peridot appeared, and blushed a little at the sight of Lapis. Lapis, however, sat on the bench and covered her face with her hands. She was so angry that she was shaking.  
"What can I do to help?" Peridot asked, approaching timidly.  
"Could you bring Pearl? Tell her what happens" Lapis asked, without lifting her face from her hands  
"Of course, I'll hurry"

* * *

Peridot had kept her promise to be hurried. In about 5 minutes she was back, with Pearl behind her. Pearl had worn a pair of shorts, apologizing for not having anything else. Lapis thanked her. The shorts and the hoodie were much better than nothing. She noticed that Peridot and Pearl tried not to talk much, and thanked them. She was so embarrassed that she felt that if she said half a word she would start to cry.  
When asked what she wanted to do, she said that she simply needed to go to her locker. Maybe taking her things and going home was the best.  
It wasn't pleasant to see a small crowd gathered around her locker.  
"We don't need to know what's going on" Pearl said, taking Lapis' wrist  
Too late. Some saw her and began to laugh. Lapis thought it much better to see what was going on, and almost furiously went through the crowd. Her clothes were lying all over the floor in front of her locker. Except for one of her bras. That one was stuck in the locker with tape, underneath a word written with red lipstick: "SLUT".  
She felt her cheeks burning, and she began to cry over her anger and embarrassment. She just wanted to get out of there, go with Aunt Bianca and ask her to take her home.  
"Hey slut!" someone shouted "You're missing this"  
Lapis turned just as Aquamarine threw other bra to her head. Between the tears and the laughter of the others, she didn't realize that Peridot went ahead, planted herself in front of Aquamarine and shouted to her "Apologize to her, you mother fucker bitch!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys :3 Thanks for reading and for your comments n.n I'm sorry for made this to Lapis


	15. A Time To Be So Small

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes things seem to be very bad and have no solution, but she's gonna try with a little help from her friends

_"No"_ Lapis thought, panicking.  
For a moment there was total silence. Then there was an exclamation of mockery for both sides.  
"Excuse me, what did you say?" Aquamarine asked  
"Apologize to her!" Peridot repeated, pushing her by the shoulders  
Aquamarine smiled a little, and Lapis immediately stood in front of her, saying "She didn't mean that... I'm sorry"  
"Are you apologizing to her? No way!" Peridot said. She was shaking, as if she had a hard time not running away. She turned to Aquamarine and said "You heard me, bitch!"  
"Oh little Peri, you know nobody talks to me like that" Aquamarine said, approaching a few steps. Lapis, who was in front of Peridot, shrank a little. No, she didn't dare face Aquamarine. Not again.  
"It's enought" Pearl said, standing next to Lapis "Aquamarine, you already have enough problems to steal Lapis' things, you don't wanna get back into a fight"  
"No, no... You have no problems" Lapis was quick to say "Nobody has to know, just leave us alone"  
"Are you kidding?" Peridot exclimed, coming out from behind the taller girls and pushing Aquamarine back "Say you're sorry"  
This time, Aquamarine also pushed her. Peri fell back, but she stood up almost immediately. Lapis pushed her slowly against the lockers to stop her. "Enough, it's not worth it" she said in a whisper.  
"Aquamarine's a bitch and I won't let her treat you like that!"  
Lapis watched as Pearl struggled to stop Aquamarine. Great, now everyone was involved in this.  
"Oh, c'mon!" Aquamarine said, smiling "Are it worth what you do for this slut?"  
"Shut the fuck up!" Peridot exclaimed, going towards her  
Over there, Topaz had just appeared and pushed Pearl away from Aquamarine.  
"Remember the deal!" Lapis shouted at Aquamarine.  
The girl looked at her, and looked at Peridot. The blonde turned to Lapis and said "What?"  
Lapis didn't look at her directly, just lowered her head and continued to cry. Peridot lowered her guard and said, "What do you mean?"  
Peridot approached Lapis, but she said nothing. She listened as several people made fun of her. She just wanted to disappear.  
"What's happening here?!"  
Too late to run. Aunt Xanthe was already there. As Peridot had approached Lapis, and Topaz had removed Pearl, only Aquamarine and Lapis were within the circle.  
"You two again..." aunt Xanthe said  
"What's the problem?"  
Oh man. Aunt Bianca appeared with her sister. She watched the scene carefully, then stared at Lapis. The girl buried her head more deeply between her shoulders.  
"Now you are in a big trouble!" aunt Xanthe exclaimed "You two will come with me and..."  
"No" Bianca interrupted. She pointed at Lapis and said "You. Come with me"  
There was a general murmur. How bad should you be for the principal to take you personally to her office? Lapis said nothing, went after her aunt, with her head down and wiping her tears.  
"All of you, the show is over" she heard Aunt Xanthe say.  
Lapis followed her aunt in silence. They reached the office, where Aunt Bianca sat behind her desk. Lapis also sat down, letting the tears run down her face.  
"Can you explain what was that ?" her aunt asked to her   
"I wasn't fighting, I swear! I promised I wouldn't get in trouble and..."  
"I know you weren't fighting, but you told me everything was under control"  
Lapis looked down.  
"Aquamarine bothers you?"  
Lapis nodded.  
"Is she the one who's been hitting you? She cut your hair?"  
Lapis nodded again.  
"And now?"  
"She stole my clothes from the locker room and scattered it in the hallway"  
She felt her face turns red. She could almost feel the word SLUT written on her forehead. She couldn't stop crying 'cause she was so ashamed... They weren't going to let her forget this.  
"Auntie, can I go home?" Lapis asked "Please? I don't wanna be here"  
Aunt Bianca looked at her for a few seconds, nodded slightly, and rose. She circled the desk and put a hand on Lapis' shoulder. "C'mon" she said  
Lapis got up. They left the office and she heard aunt Bianca tell her secretary "I'm going to be away for the rest of the day. If there's something urgent, call me on my cell phone"  
Lapis went out into the hallway, crossing her arms over her chest to hide the absence of bra. A group of boys looked at her and whistled, one of them said "Hey Lapis, can I keep your panties?"  
The comment was greeted with laughter. Another said "I didn't mean that when I said I wanted to see your underwear..."  
"Hey Lapis, then you don't wear anything under that hoodie? It's hot, why don't you take it off?"  
"Excuse me, what did you just say?" Aunt Bianca appared, putting a hand on Lapis' shoulder   
"Nothing, I'm sorry, Ms. Diamond" the last one who spoke said, before they running away  
Lapis covered her face with her hands. She felt so bad that she felt like she was gonna vomit.  
"Follow me"  
Lapis obeyed and walked after her aunt to Aunt Xanthe's office. Aquamarine was outside, waiting for to be punished.  
"Wait a minute" her aunt asked, before entering the office. "And is better that you both behave for a couple of minutes" she added, looking at Aquamarine  
The woman entered the office. As soon as they were alone, Aquamarine took Lapis from the hoodie's neck and pushed her into the hallway, crushing her against the wall.  
"Listen" she said "If you opened your fucking mouth..."  
"Open my mouth? They saw what you did!" Lapis said without resistance.  
"Forget the deal, I'm gonna give your girlfriend a beating"  
"No! She didn't want to do it... I can convince the Diamonds not to punish you, but leave Peridot alone"  
"If your little freak dares to talk to me that way again..."  
"Is something wrong here?" a voice approaching said  
The two blue-haired girls turned around, only to see Jasper approaching.  
"Do you have a problem, Aqua?" Jasper said, frowning.  
"No" Aquamarine answered, released Lapis, and returned to her chair outside Aunt Xanthe's office.  
Lapis looked at Jasper. She didn't think she was so happy to see her. She wiped her tears with the sleeve of Peridot's hoodie.  
"You would have told me you had trouble with her" Jasper said. "I can put her in her place whenever you want."  
"Thanks"  
"Are you fine?"  
Lapis nodded. Really, seeing her arrive had been a relief.  
"I know you're a strong girl" Jasper said "Don't let that idiot make you believe otherwise"  
"I won't" said Lapis, not very sure.  
Her aunts left the office, aunt Xanthe for Aquamarine and aunt Bianca to go with her.  
"Good luck" Jasper said, moving quickly away  
Aunt Bianca came to her side, put a hand on her shoulder and said "Being a Jasper's friend isn't a great idea either, honey. Do you still wanna go home?"  
Lapis nodded. She just wanted to leave that place and never come back.

* * *

The trip to Lapis' house was very quiet. The silence was only interrupted from time to time by Lapis' sobs. When they arrived at the house, she immediately went to throw herself into her bed so that she could cry at her ease.  
She was so ashamed of what had happened, and she could not stop thinking about how those guys treated her. Lapis barely spoke to a few people, and now they would think she was a whore. At least that's what the boys made her think. She knew she couldn't stop going to school, but she didn't want to. It was going to mean to face the murmurs and mockery of others. They weren't going to let her forget it.  
"Lazuli?"  
Aunt Bianca entered the room and sat down on the bed beside her. Lapis felt her aunt's hand stroking her hair.  
"Darling, I know you must feel very bad, but I won't let that girl keep bothering you" the woman said  
"What did you tell aunt Xanthe?" Lapis asked  
"We agreed to suspend Aquamarine for a week, another bad behavior and she'll be expelled"  
Lapis felt a lump in her throat. She knew that now Aquamarine would be more than willing to hurt her, no matter what happens to her after.  
"She's done many bad things before, but this..." aunt Bianca murmured  
"They won't stop bothering me" Lapis said  
"Is it because of those boys? You know that if someone bothers you, you can tell me"  
"It's not just them... Nobody's going to leave me alone. I don't want to go back to school"  
"Lazuli..."  
"Don't make me go back, auntie"  
Aunt Bianca sighed and continued stroking her hair. At last she took a deep breath and said "I guess nothing's gonna happen if you miss a day"  
Lapis sighed in relief. Maybe with that missing day and the weekend they would forget about what happened.  
"Come here"  
Lapis got up and her aunt hugged her. "I don't wanna see more tears" the woman said "You're a very strong, good and beautiful girl. No one's gonna believe what Aquamarine said about you, do you understand?"  
Lapis nodded. Aunt Bianca didn't stop hugging her, but she took the photograph of Lapis' bedside table, the one Pearl had seen the other day.  
"Look at this" aunt Bianca commented "You look so beautiful with long hair. You really look like your mom"  
Lapis chuckled. Aunt Bianca smiled at her and said "But you want to know one thing? You look even more beautiful with your strange blue hair. 'Cause that's the way you are. Never let them tell you that it's wrong"  
Lapis nodded. She began to feel calmer. "And don't let anyone hurt you again" her aunt added. "I think I'd rather have you fight somebody than let them treat you badly"  
"I won't do either"  
"That's my girl"

* * *

Lapis was trying to see things from the positive side. Suspending Aquamarine meant not seeing her for a few days. She could cope with teasing, she had done it before. The stalker boys would be afraid Bianca would have listened to them. Maybe things weren't going to go so badly.  
Even so, she didn't want to go to school. She preferred to stay at home sleeping late, for she had keep awake talking to her mother, whom her aunts had told her all about the situation. That also helped make her feel better. Her mother hadn't rebuked her, but spoke to her to make her understand that she couldn't let anyone abuse her as Aquamarine had been doing. In fact, she said that it seemed strange that this was happening, if she knew better than anyone that Lapis wasn't a girl who let others intimidate her.  
Lapis didn't know why, but she never mentioned her mother or Aunt Bianca about her real motive: Peridot. Would it sound like something really silly? Lapis didn't know, but she didn't want to find out. She didn't mention little blonde's name ever.  
It was a surprise that Aunt Bianca would have let her stay alone in her house. Maybe she thought she needed some time alone. Well, when she finally decided to get out of bed, Lapis undressed and went for a shower. As the hot water poured into her body, she couldn't help thinking she could face the others, but... What would her friends say? Lapis was a coward, they would say. She didn't dare to face Aquamarine. And Peridot... What would Peridot think of her?  
Lapis began to get very nervous and anxious. She was so ashamed of herself. She had let Peridot jump in front of her to defend her, when it had to be contrary. Aquamarine had hurt Peri because of her. Hell, if Peridot never spoke to her again, she would understand.  
Lapis stepped out of the shower and without drying herself with the towel, stood in front of the mirror. A thin, blue-haired girl with a dark eye bag returned her gaze. And she said eye bag because only one was visible. The other was hidden between her scar and the bruise around her eye, which still there on her face as a result of having received at least a couple of blows there that week.  
Lapis watched her body beyond that. She had bruises on both shoulders, products of the strokes Aquamarine had given her. It had been very embarrassing to have to lie to everyone in swimming training about the source of those bruises. At least they would disappear in a couple more days.  
She watched her small breasts and the rest of her body, though thin she was strong, and her muscles were well turned, the result of 8 years of swimming.  
She ran her hands through her wet hair, pausing at the part of her shorn hair. She turned her back on the mirror and tried to see that part well. It was an irregular circle a little less than two inches in diameter. The hair was so short it was brown, some barely had the blue tip. At least she could hide it with the rest of her hair. She didn't want to cut it so short to fix it.  
With her back turned, she could see her lapislazuli tattoo between her marked shoulder blades. The blue ink contrasted perfectly with her brown skin.  
She looked at her reflection again. Brown skin and blue eyes. Sometimes she wondered where that combination came from. Where she came from, where her parents had been... Just like a vague thought, she knew she could never figure it out. It wasn't that she cared much, she never knew anything about them, so she didn't care.  
But well, it wasn't time for vague thoughts. She took a towel and dried her hair, then went to her room to get dressed. She didn't really have any plans. Surely she would eat something and go to see some series or movie.  
She was finishing putting on her shorts when someone knocked on the door. She let out a moan and thought not to open, which she often did when she was alone. She wasn't expecting anyone, so surely it wasn't anyone important. But they continued knocking, so in the end she decided to give and go to open  
She felt her heart stop when she saw Aunt Xanthe at the door. The woman frowned at her and said, "Wow, I thought you would never open"  
"I'm so sorry!" Lapis apologized immediately, blushing "I just got out of the shower and..."  
"Enought, I don't want explanations. Bianca wanted me to bring you this."  
She handed her a plastic bag filled with something soft. "What is this?" she asked  
"I think it's your clothes"  
"Oh... Thanks. I'm sorry... Do you want to come in, auntie?"  
"Ms. Diamond" she corrected her "We already talked about this"  
Lapis erased the smile she had held. She felt a small punch to her chest.  
"Yes but... I thought only in school"  
"For you, I'll never be 'your auntie', do you understand?"  
"Yes, Ms. Diamond"  
The woman looked her up and down, examining her carefully. "You should wear decent cloths and get a good haircut. You already messed up the Diamond family with your actions so that you also look like a tramp"  
Lapis didn't know what to answer, but it wasn't necessary, 'cause aunt Xanthe had already turned around and was heading for her car.  
She closed the door slowly and returned to her room. She sat down on the bed, and put her hand to her cheek just to feel that there was a single tear sliding down her face.

* * *

Fortunately, she didn't have much time to feel bad, 'cause it wasn't even 15 minutes when someone knocked again. What? Did aunt Xanthe wan to hurt her feelings even more?  
Well, if it was like that it was better to go open. But no, she just walked to the door when she heard "Yo! Are you gonna open or I should throw the door?!"  
She couldn't help but smile. She opened the door, and immediately ran out of air as she received a strong hug from Amethyst.  
"Lapis, really missed you so much!" she exclaimed dramatically. Lapis noticed that she had a black eye again  
"I don't think we'll celebrate your victory against Jasper, huh?"  
"Oh shut up!"  
"It's good to see you" Garnet said, putting a hand on her shoulder  
"Thanks" Lapis said, stepping aside to let her come in  
"Lady Lazuli, guess who came to see you!" Greg said  
"Lappy!" the little Steven exclaimed from his father arms  
"Hi, little boy" Lapis greeted, hugging and kissing him on both cheeks. Steven laughed and hugged her neck  
"Hey how are you?" Pearl greeted, hugging her  
"Much better now" Lapis replied, smiling at her.  
"And you'll be even better" Pearl said, taking Steven  
Lapis was going to ask why, but it wasn't necessary. There was someone else. Peridot smiled a little and waved her hand. Lapis smiled awkwardly, and she felt someone pushing her to embrace her.  
"Hi" Peridot said to her ear.  
"Hi," Lapis replied, hugging her tightly.  
They parted and looked at each other, smiling quietly for a few seconds, until Peridot opened her eyes wide and exclaimed "Look Lapis! I'm a crystal gem now!"  
"Oh really?" Lapis asked, smiling at her  
"Well, we weren't going to leave her alone, eh?" Garnet said  
Lapis smiled, let Peri through and closed the door.  
"We brought Chinese food" Greg said, showing a huge bag "Pearl said you liked it"  
"And we also brought ice cream and pop corn and soft drinks and maybe other things I shouldn't say in front of Steven"  
"Amethyst..." Pearl said  
"It's a joke, P!" she laughed, but winked at Lapis  
"We thought it would be a good idea to come visit you" Peridot said "Well, we weren't sure, that's why we didn't come yesterday... But Pearl thought it would be a good idea to do it today!"  
"Maybe you wanted some time alone first" Pearl explained, shrugging "I hope I wasn't wrong"  
"It's perfect" Lapis said "Thank you, guys"

* * *

Lapis wondered how she could have been sad in the morning. Being with her friends helped to forget the bad thoughts she'd had. They really knew how to cheer her up. They spent the afternoon eating, watching movies, talking, and when things finally got serious for a moment, Lapis couldn't help but smile when she heard Amethyst say more than once that she was ready to kick their ass to whoever dared to mock her. They all agreed that they were going to defend Lapis, whether she wanted or not.  
Come on, who needed aunt Xanthe's approval if she have a family like the crystal gems?  
When it was nearly dark and Steven was napping, it was time to play violent zombie video games, and for Lapis and Amethyst to share a cigarette.  
Lapis took advantage of the fact that it was Pearl's turn to play so she could talk a little privately with Peri, while the others shouted enthusiastically.  
"You guys are very bad for video games" Peri commented, smiling "I could beat you with my eyes closed and a hand on my back"  
"Sure, little nerd. If you talk so much why you do not take a controller?" Lapis asked  
"Oh, I don't wanna brag"  
Lapis laughed and hug her by shoulders. Peridot snuggled into Lapis' chest, sighed and said "Could you tell me about the deal?"  
"What deal?" Lapis asked  
"You know, the one you did with Aquamarine"  
Lapis said nothing. She stared at the screen, while a zombie ate Pearl.  
"I'm not stupid, you know?" Peri said "It's very easy to understand. I was gonna have some peace and you would receive all the bad things "  
Lapis nodded, not looking at her.  
"You're a big clod"  
"I just wanted to protect you"  
"I know. But it was wrong that you wanted to take all the blows. It's not fair for you"  
"I didn't care, you know? I couldn't bear to see her hurt you"  
"I appreciate it Lapis, but I can defend myself "  
Lapis at last looked at her and smiled, saying "I realized yesterday. Holy crap, that was very brave "  
"I told you. No one's gonna hurt my... "  
Peri stopped and blushed. "Your... what?" Lapis asked, heart racing  
"My Lapis"  
"Thanks, my Peri"  
Lapis hugged her even harder. Fuck, if she only dared to bend her head a little, she could kiss her... But no, of course she wouldn't dare.

* * *

Peridot had to leave before the others, so as not to have problems at home. Although Greg offered to take her, she turned him down, and ended up asking for a taxi.  
As soon as Peri disappeared, they didn't stop bothering Lapis, making her blush and teasing about her and Peridot. She knew it hadn't gone unnoticed when she and Peri spent so much time hugging each other. Damn, she wasn't going to silence Amethyst ever.  
At the end of the day, everyone helped Lapis pick up the mess in the room. It was amazing how 6 guys and a baby could make such a mess.  
"I have to thank you for this" Lapis told Pearl, while the others went out to take out the garbage. "I was pretty depressed, so... Thanks Porl, you're the best"  
"I know" Pearl said in joke.  
"And thank you for including Peridot"  
"It's nothing, you know we've been trying to get her to join us. She's really an adorable girl"  
"Yes, she is... Really, thank you very much for doing this, Pearl"  
"Well..." Pearl made sure the guys were still outside. "I can't take all the credit. We did wanna come and see you, but we weren't sure. You know, coming to spend the afternoon with you, bring food and all that wasn't exactly my idea"  
"But they said that you proposed it"  
"Yes, but someone helped me make sure you wanted to see us"  
"Who?"  
Pearl smiled and looked at Lapis before answering "Auntie Bianca"  
Lapis was speechless. Pearl chuckled and said "Why didn't you tell us?"  
"Did you tell the others?!"  
"Of course not"  
"Well... In my other school everyone treated me differently 'cause I was a Diamond's daughter... I just wanted to be a normal girl for some weeks"  
"I don't think the guys will treat you differently... But if you want, your secret will be safe with me"  
"Thanks Porl"  
"So... You're a little Diamond, just like your beloved cousin Blaine"  
"Shut up..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys :3 thanks for reading and for your comments! You motivate me to keep writing this story n.n


	16. Water Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though the competition thrills her, Lapis has something even better planned for when it ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write about the full competition. Then I realized that I really don't know anything about swimming :v

POV Peridot  
Peri couldn't believe the incredible evening that had just happened. Being with Lapis was already pretty good, but now she also realized how great the crystal gems were. She knew that everything her sister said about them were lies. Actually they're very nice. So was Greg, and she had even liked to meet little Steven.  
But the best would always be to be with Lapis. She couldn't believe there was a person as good as the blue-haired girl. Lapis was amazing, she was kind, she cared about her, she was funny, and she was very pretty. Peridot liked her blue eyes, her blue hair, the color of her skin, when she smiled, her strange laugh, she liked everything about Lapis. She even liked the scar under her eye. Lapis didn't deserve bad things to happen to her.  
Peridot didn't stop feeling nervous being with Lapis. But it was 'cause nobody had ever made her feel that way. When she was with Lapis, she felt special, protected... Beloved. Lapis looked at her as if she were the most perfect being in the universe. And what made her more special: Lapis didn't treat her differently. Everyone believed that Peri needed special attention, or that she didn't understand what was happening around... In short, they treated her like an idiot. Even her sister and her mother sometimes treated her like Peridot was a fool who didn't understand things in the same way as others. But Lapis wasn't like that. Lapis knew Peri had the syndrome, and it didn't change the way she treated her.  
Lapis listened to her when she talked about CPH or computers or robots, and paid attention to her! Normally people get bored and ask her to shut up. And she also learned things with her, like things about sports and music.  
If it weren't for Lapis did it first, Peridot would never have dared to speak to her. That girl was too cool, she would never have imagined that they could be friends. Even more...  
It was something definitive, right? From what she had seen, she no longer had to doubt. There was something more between them. She even googled it. Yes, she was in love with her. And how was she going to tell her? Was it okay to say it or should she wait? Was she just confusing what was happening? Lapis had said that she used to had a boyfriend in her other city, and if she was straight? Damn, she should ask someone what to do. Maybe one of the crystal gems.  
"You're lucky Mommy hasn't arrived yet" Blaine said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Imagine if she finds out you came after the hour you're allowed!"  
"You're not gonna tell her, right?" Peri answered, without looking at her  
Blaine sat down and poured cereal. Then she took Peridot's fidget spinner out of her hand and started spinning it, saying "Maybe I don't tell her, I don't know..."  
"I'll do your homework"  
"Tempting. I guess it's a fair deal, yes"  
Peridot hated when Blaine called her "sis". It was an indicator that she was going to continue to blackmail her.  
"And tell me, where were you anyway? Now you're friends with the gems?"  
"Does that matter to you?"  
"Of course, yes. They're idiots... Although on second thought, you may be fine with them"  
Peri frowned. One day she was going to make Blaine shut up...  
"Oh I understand. Lapis is also a crystal gem, right?"  
Peri said nothing. If Blaine started talking about Lapis, she knew she was going to answer something wrong.  
"I don't understand why you like that fool, and less now that everyone says she's a..."  
"Well, she's not!"  
"Oh no? She's undesirable, if you heard mom talk about her... You can tell she doesn't like her a bit... Imagine if she knew she's your friend"  
"Lapis is not bad, she's very kind and nice. You only dislikes her 'cause she prefers to join me and has rejected you a thousand times"  
"As if I wanted to spend my time with that bitch"  
"Lapis is not a bitch! Don't talk about her like that"  
"Calm down, it seems like you're in love with her"  
Peridot blushed and tried to hide her face by staring at her bowl of cereal. Blaine noticed it and laughed mockingly, saying "No way! You're in love with Lapis!"  
"It's not true, shut up!" she exclaimed  
"I can't believe it! Little Peri is a lesbian and she's in love with Lapis! Mom's gonna love it!"  
"I'm not a lesbian and I don't like Lapis!"  
"Then why are you so upset?"  
"Cause you're a clod!"  
"Oh little Peri ..."  
"Okay, what do you want?"  
"My homework, the rest of the year"  
"Fine"  
"I love spending quality time with you, sis. I have to admit that I admire you, having the guts to fall in love with Lapis... I hope she like autistics, you could teach her how to play with your spinner"  
"Fuck you"  
"Language, sis"

* * *

POV Lapis  
The company of her friends really managed to cheer her up a lot. She couldn't even believe she had been so sad before. And Peridot... To have been so close to Peridot, hugging her, smelling her hair... Fuck, that's how heaven should feel.  
And to finish the day, before going to sleep she checked her cell phone, which she hadn't touched all day, and saw that she had a message from her coach, informing her that next Friday would be her first swimming competition of the year. The District meet. Damn, maybe she should have gone to school... Well, nothing was happening, the message was to tell her that the next day she had to go to training. Lapis was very excited, it was going to be her first tournament at the new school. If she gave a good performance, the incident of the previous day was going to be buried in the past.  
The truth is that she was determined not to let anyone make fun of her. She was determined to hit anyone who dared mention what happened. She knew that maybe she was exaggerating, but if it was necessary to be hostile to avoid being disturbed, she would accept.  
In fact, she was thinking that she used to be a bit hostile in her old school. She was never a bully or something like that, but she didn't let anyone mess with her, and in general strangers weren't encouraged to talk to her. Partly because of her somewhat cold and indifferent personality (emo, as Amethyst used to say) and partly because nobody wanted problems with the pricipal's daughter. Even her friends had had a bit of trouble taking total confidence, not to mention Alex...  
Alex and she had been best friends until he became her boyfriend. Even Azura adored the boy. They had a very good relationship until Lapis knew she was moving. They had been together just one year. Anyway, they had always treated each other like they used to be before, as friends, and of course, they ended up being friends. In fact, as messages continued to be sent, Lapis had even told him about Peridot. Alex usually gave her advice on how to act, and now he said that Lapis was "his lesbian ex". Lapis called him "my stupid ex". He was the person she missed the most. Maybe not as a boyfriend, but as a friend.  
But even Alex didn't have that connection as fast as she had with Peri. Lapis had never believed in the soul mates tale. Until now.  
The days passed, and Lapis was very busy, among the girls, Peri, the homework and the trainings. Although even the coach had obtained a special permission to remove from some classes the team members to be able to train more. The competition had taken them all by surprise, but everyone was confident that with Lapis on the team, the school had a secure place on the podium. She just hoped not to disappoint anyone. On the polite side, she had been so busy training that she didn't even notice if someone made fun of her.  
Peridot used to attend some training, and encouraged her. The blonde was so adorable that she achieved her goal. Just by listening to her voice, Lapis felt that her strength was renewed and she even felt that she was doing better.  
Lapis felt she was wasting her time. It was obvious that there was something between they two, and each time it became more difficult to bear the urge to steal a kiss. But she already had a plan. If it wasn't work, things going to be very bad, but if everything went well... Damn, it would be worth trying.  
And that's how the competition day came, and Lapis felt very, very nervous. For the tournament, and for the other thing...  
For a last minute change, the competition was going to take place at Diamond High School. It was crazy for Aunt Bianca to have to organize everything from one moment to the next, but it was necessary. The pool of the original headquarters school was the victim of some vandals.  
But hey, in the end everything had been ready in time. Classes for all were suspended in the middle of the day, for those who wanted to stay and watch the competition. Of course, the gems and Greg had already booked their place in the front row.  
Lapis felt nervous that it would be her first performance in front of the whole school, and in front of her aunt. She was going to represent the school in the 200m individual medley, 500m freestyle and 400m freestyle relay. The coach had assigned her the most difficult races. And if she qualified for the finals, she had to repeat everything a few hours later. Surely she would end up totally exhausted, win or not.  
It was almost time to go to meet the rest of the team. Minutes earlier, her mother had called to wish her luck, and to tell her that even if she couldn't be present, Lapis knew that she had all her support. Lapis had assured her that it didn't matter if she missed that one, 'cause she was going to see her win the states competiton.  
"Lapis!"  
Lapis turned just to get a big hug from Peridot. She returned the hug.  
"Are you nervous?" Peri asked  
"A little" Lapis answered , with a small smile  
"Hey, if you do it like in training, they have no chance against you"  
"I'll try my best"  
"And I'll be there to support you"  
Lapis smiled and hugged her again. She loved that little gremlin so much...  
"Our champion!" Amethyst exclaimed, approaching  
"No mercy with them, Lapis!" Greg said  
"Thanks for staying to see" Lapis said  
"We're not gonna miss it for nothing" Garnet said, ruffling her hair  
"Thanks"  
"And hey, we'll go eat pizza to celebrate your victory" Pearl said, hugging her  
"And if I don't win?"  
"We'll go to eat pizza anyway, to celebrate your first competition"  
"But surely it will be for your victory" Peri assured  
"We'd better get going" Greg said "The whole school will be there, and we need to have good places"  
"Did you just say that the whole school will be there?" Lapis repeated  
"Yes, everyone wants to go see you"  
"Oh shit"  
"Calm down, you'll do excellent" Garnet assured her.  
"We'll be there to see it" Amethyst said  
Everyone wished her luck, Peri hugged her again, and they went to the pool, where voices were already heard.  
Lapis took a deep breath and finished putting everything she needed in her backpack, repeating over and over again that it wasn't going to be anything she hadn't done before.  
"Are you ready?"  
Lapis was startled a little when she saw Aunt Bianca behind her.  
"I think so" Lapis replied, shrugging.  
"Easy, honey. From what everyone has told me, you have nothing to worry about "  
"I'm gonna make you proud"  
"I'm already proud of you, Lazuli"  
Lapis smiled, and aunt Bianca hugged her very tightly. It actually worked, felt a kind of heat spread through her chest, and she felt much calmer.  
"By the way, honey" her aunt said, taking a small packet from behind her back "I took the liberty of buying you this"  
"What is it?" Lapis asked, taking the packet  
"Well, they assured me that they're the same ones they use in Olympic competitions"  
Lapis smiled and looked at her aunt. "Thanks, auntie"  
"If you wonder why that design... Maybe you already heard that students used to call your mother Blue Diamond..."

* * *

POV Peridot  
Peri had never actually witnessed any live sports competition. She wasn't used to such levels of excitement and noise, but it was well worth bearing it, for Lapis. The school team wasn't as bad as other years. Although they only took one first place, in all other competitions they're always in second or third place. But it was time. At last she was going to see Lapis in action.  
"I think they have improved a lot" Pearl told Garnet  
"I guess Lapis' arrival motivated them" Garnet answered  
Of course, Peridot thought. Lapis' arrival would motivate anyone. Lapis was one of those people who made everything around her better, even though she was a serious person.   
But she was a serious person? Really? Peri used to believed it, but at the time they're alone, Lapis was in fact very tender and attentive.  
"And now our next competition!" the presenter's voice announced "200m individual medley"  
It was at that moment when everyone, including Peridot, applauded and shouted. The rumor that Lapis was an excellent swimmer had already spread, so everyone expected to see a great race, since girls from other schools also had a reputation for being the best.  
"There she is!" Amethyst exclaimed  
Peri stretched her neck to see her. Lapis wore a one-piece blue swimsuit, with a rhombus in the center in a darker blue. This contrasted perfectly with her brown skin. At that time, she was putting her blue hair under her swimming cap, also blue.  
"Wow! That girl, Lapis, is a goddess!" a boy from the row behind her exclaimed  
"I know, just look at her!" his friend replied  
"Good job, Peridot!" the first said, patting Peri on the back  
The gems laughed. Peridot looked at them without understanding and asked "Good job? What did I do?"  
"Lapis is... beautiful" Pearl said, without taking her eyes off Lapis  
"I don't understand"  
"Lapis!" Amethyst explained, hugging her by the shoulders "These guys like Lapis! Like half the world in this school school. And she's your girl! "  
Peridot looked at Lapis, then at Amethyst, smiled and said "She's my girl!"  
"They're gonna start!" Greg exclaimed  
Lapis was going up to the starting block. Peridot bit her lip, although she knew it wasn't necessary. Lapis looked confident. Of course she was confident, she was the best.  
"Take your mark"  
Oh, stars. Peri watched as Lapis ducked.  
"Get set"  
She felt a little nervous, like she was the one who was going to swim...!  
"GO"  
"C'mon Lapis!!!" Peri exclaimed

* * *

POV Lapis  
Okay, she had imagined many ways to end the competition, and yes, she had thought it wouldn't go so bad, but... First place in all races? No one, not even her, expected that.  
The first race, the 200m individual medley, had been a complete success. She had arrived 5 seconds before the girl who came in second place. 5 seconds! That was too much.  
Or so she thought until she did the same again in the 500m freestyle. For the 400m freestyle relay race it wasn't so much. She came just a second before the second place girl.  
Needless to say almost the entire team qualified for the finals. During the break, she did nothing but receive congratulations from everyone. All were very animated, 'cause usually only two or three competitors of the Diamond High School (and always boys) passed to the finals. In fact, the team was so encouraged by the victories obtained that they didn't even look tired at all.  
Aunt Bianca had taken Lapis aside and told her a thousand times how proud she felt about her. Lapis was so happy that she felt she couldn't improve her day.  
But it did improve. Suddenly the gems and Greg appeared. Peridot had hugged her so long and so hard that she had also finished with wet clothes. They offered to Lapis to eat, but she refused. Surely she wasn't going to be able to eat anything until later, when the finals were over.  
And although she was somewhat tired, Lapis repeated her excellent performance. First place in her three races. Not with as much time difference as in the morning, but she did it. And with that, she secured a position to the Diamond High School in the regionals. She had no words, the whole school erupted in jubilation and the boys of the team lifted Lapis in their arms, who already had her medals on.  
And even with that, her day was still going to improve...  
When at last the crowd dispersed, to tell Aunt Bianca that she would, she would stay at her house that night, and tell the gems to go ahead to order the pizzas, Lapis enjoyed a moment of peace with Peridot  
Both were in the school pool. Everyone had left, they had already cleaned everything up. Lapis had asked Peridot to wait a little with her.  
"... and then we thought you were gonna get in second place, but BAM! You did that! And you won by little! It was great" Peridot said  
"Calm down a little, gremlin" Lapis said, hugging Peri from behind  
"It was amazing! I can't believe you can swim so fast! And I saw you in training! You're the best"  
"Do you know why I did so well?"  
"Why?"  
"I heard you cheer me up. I didn't know you could scream so much"  
Peri laughed and said "I had to do it"  
"Thank you. You are a great cheerleader "  
Lapis released Peridot and, without saying anything else, threw herself into the pool. She had already changed her clothes, but she doesn't care  
"Didn't you have enough?" Peri asked, laughing  
"I think someone said she would come with me to the pool" Lapis said, brushing wet hair from her face.  
"That someone won't be me"  
"C'mon Peri!"  
"I never said I would do it"  
"C'omon, take it as a gift to celebrate that I won!"  
Peridot sighed, sat on the floor and took off her shoes. Lapis laughed and leaned on the pool edge, watching her. The blonde took off her shoes, socks, hoodie and shorts.  
"Nice boxers" Lapis said, looking at the Peridot's boxers with aliens print  
Peri blushed, looking away, and said "Now what?"  
"Come here"  
"Lapis, I remind you that I can't swim"  
"I know"  
Peridot sat on the pool edge, putting her feet in the water. Damn, how could someone have so pale feet?  
"It's cold!" she exclaimed  
"Yes" Lapis smiled, and extended her arms towards her  
Peri growled and fell, hugging Lapis' neck very hard. Lapis laughed, hugging her around the waist. She felt Peri hug her with her feet.  
"It's really cold!" Peri exclaimed "It's a bad idea! I'm gonna drown! "  
"Calm down, I'm not gonna let you go"  
Lapis began to swim, moving away from the edge.  
"What are you doing?" Peri exclaimed, panicked "Lapis, no!"  
"Shut up, gremlin. I'm gonna submerge you "  
"Do not you dare!"  
Lapis submerged completely for a couple of seconds, and immediately surfaced. Peridot coughed, while Lapis laughed. Her blond hair had stuck completely to her skull, and Lapis busied herself brushing back the locks of her glasses.  
"Lapis, you clod!" Peri exclaimed, but nonetheless, she smiled  
"Nothing bad happened to you, did it?"  
"You're not gonna let me go, right? Promise that you won't let me go "  
Lapis stared at her. Her green eyes, her thin lips, the freckles that piled on her forehead and seemed to form a sort of inverted triangle. She felt her tremble, and felt the strength with which she clung to her neck. She had never seen such a beautiful person in the world.  
"I like you" Lapis said. The words came out without thinking, like vomit  
"W-what?" Peri said  
"I ... I ..."  
No, she couldn't say another word. She approached her and kissed her. She kissed her as she had never kissed anyone. A kiss that at first was furious, but then it became slow. And even more when she felt that Peridot returned the kiss. She had spent whole nights thinking about what it would be like to kiss Peridot's lips. But damn! She didn't even come close to the real feeling.  
She separated slowly from her. Her heart was racing, more than in any of the races.  
"Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" Lapis asked  
Peridot looked at her for a few seconds. Her eyes were wide and she was open-mouthed.  
"Of course!" she exclaimed, and without Lapis waiting for it, she was who kissed her  
Lapis was so happy that she started to laugh, as strange as that sounds.  
"Are you crying?" Peri asked, smiling  
Damn, she was crying. She kissed Peri on the forehead and said "I love you so much, dork"  
"I love you too, Lapis... Damn! You're my girlfriend now! That's awesome! "  
"I promise you I'll never let you go" Lapis said, smiling like an idiot and hugging her very tight  
"And I'm never gonna let you go, my Lappy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That finally happened! Thanks for reading and for your comments! :3


	17. What Is And What Should Never Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The higher they rise, the harder they fall

Everything had been incredible. More than incredible. It had been so fantastic that Lapis couldn't stop smiling all day, and the rest of the weekend she was so happy she felt like she was flying.  
Needless to say on Friday she was kissing Peridot every time she had a chance. It was the big news during your dinner at the pizzeria. The gems were quite happy to see them together. Well, Pearl didn't make a fuss like the others, but she did seem happy. Lapis only hoped she hadn't hurt her.  
But otherwise, everything was fine. Peridot was as excited as she was, she didn't leave Lapis for a second, which didn't bother her, of course.  
When was time to say goodbye that Lapis saw the first bad thing about this. Peridot asked her to keep it secret for now. She assured her that she was very happy to be her girlfriend and everything, but she needed time to tell her mother. And she would prefer to tell her and not that she found out about other people. Lapis accepted, but she thought that it would be difficult for her to control herself at school.  
After all, she also didn't want the rumor to run and reach aunt Bianca's ears. It wasn't that she would be ashamed of who she was or something like that, but that conversation had to start with an "Auntie, I have to tell you something" and not with a "Lazuli, is it true that you have a girlfriend?"  
Anyway, it didn't matter. In the days that followed that, Lapis couldn't help feeling that everything was getting better. After the competition, everyone was friendly with her again, or at least they stopped being mean.  
Aquamarine had returned from her suspension, but hadn't even approached Lapis, was content to look at her as if she was willing to kill her. It probably wouldn't last like this forever, but for now it was fine.  
Lapis was more than happy, and it looked like Peridot too. Since people began to see that the two of them were always together, they began to treat Peridot differently. Now they saw her as a person and not as a freak. They were being nice to her already, and that seemed to encourage her. And now she had also become friends with the crystal gems. In the classes that she didn't share with Lapis, there is always some of the gems, and so the blonde was never alone.  
And in truth, Lapis realized that she had been wasting her time. Since she started dating Peridot, everything between them was even better. Lapis loved to hold her and kiss her, and tell her how much she adored her. It still seemed incredible that there was such an incredible person. Lapis was willing to do anything to see her smile. It had been two incredible weeks, and from what she saw, they still lacked a lot to live together.  
Lapis was heading to the gems table, where Peridot was already, but someone stopped her. Lapis turned and met Jasper, who had grabbed her by the shoulder.  
"Hey, water witch" Jasper said, with her usual smile  
"Oh, hi Jasper" Lapis answered. In all that time, she hadn't stopped getting nervous when she was in front of that girl "You beat Amethyst again, didn't you?"  
"Someday little Amatista will give in. But let's not talk about my cousin... Tell me, when are you gonna date me?"  
"Well I'm... I'm sorry, but I have a g..."  
"Yes, I know. The little nerd. That doesn't matter, you could still go out with me"  
"I'm sorry, but not"  
"And when you get tired of her?"  
"I'll never tire of her"  
"Listen, I know you. I see you. You're the kind of girl who usually goes to bars to see some rock band while you lies about your age so you can have a beer. Yours isn't to stay at home to see how a little nerd play some video game"  
"So...?"  
"I know a very good bar where they wouldn't mind if you're 18. Tonight there'll be a tribute to Nirvana"  
What bothered Lapis most was that she knew Jasper was right. She would love to go see that band. But it would be much better to do it with Peridot, and she knew that the blonde would never accept.  
"I'll think about it" she said at last, although she knew it was a definite no.  
"I'll be waiting for you to give up, Lapis"  
"I'll be waiting for YOU to give up"  
Jasper giggled and said "We'll see who wins. I like you to play hard"  
Lapis blushed a little and went on her way. She reached the table and sat next to Peri, taking her hand under the table.  
"Hey, honey" Peri said, smiling  
"Hey" Lapis repied "Hi everyone"  
"Jasper doesn't give up, huh?" Pearl commented  
"No, unfortunately not"  
"Let me guess, she invited you to the tribute to Nirvana" Amethyst said  
"Yep"  
"It's in a bar, you need to be of age" Pearl observed  
"Not if you are friends with Jasper" Amethyst pointed "And who cares, we're of legal age in Mexico"  
"That explains why everyone wants to go on vacation there" Garnet said, opening Peridot's milk carton and giving it to her  
"Well, I gonna go" Amethyst said, winking "So if anyone wants to go..."  
"It's illegal" Pearl said, raising an eyebrow.  
"Relax P. Lapis, what do you say? I bet it's not the first illegal thing you do"  
Lapis opened her mouth to answer, but said nothing as Peridot looked at her with a raised eyebrow and an ironic smile. Oh, sure she would love to hear the answer so she could use it against her.  
"Uh, oh, someone has you under control!" Amethyst mocked "C'mon Lapis! It's Nirvana!"  
"No thanks, I already have plans for tonight" Lapis said  
She looked at Peri and smiled at her. That day, Peri's mother was going to leave the city, and would return until the next day in the afternoon, so they had all this time to be alone. Lapis wasn't going to miss that opportunity. Every second that could happen next to Peridot was very valuable to her, she wasn't going to waste them.  
"If you get caught..." Pearl told Amethyst  
"They won't, relax" Amethyst said  
"Garnet, tell her it's a terrible idea"  
Garnet shrugged and said "Actually it sounds like something fun"  
"HA! I love you, G"  
"Why none of you listens to me?" Pearl complained  
"I do!" Lapis claimed "I'm not gonna do anything illegal, right Peri?"  
"I'll see to it that you don't break the law" Peri said.  
"Hey y'all!" Greg exclaimed, sitting next to Lapis with a huge tray of spaghetti.  
"Are you gonna eat only spaghetti?" Garnet asked  
"Why not? It's delicious"  
"How do you make them accept to fill the tray with only spaghetti?" Amethyst  
Greg chewed and swallowed before saying "Nobody can resist Mr. Universe"  
"Lapis, would you date this guy?"  
"Of course" Lapis replied "I can't resist Mr. Universe"  
The girls laughed. Greg swallowed the spaghetti again and said "You flatter me, Lady Lazuli, but this heart belongs to my Rose"  
Lapis smiled. Greg was very tender. However, she noticed a slight blush on Pearl's cheeks.

* * *

That afternoon, almost as soon as Peri's mother left the house, Lapis was left to see her in the center of the city. They spent the afternoon together, went for an ice cream, to eat, went to sit on the beach for a while, and even went to a record store. It was really fun, 'cause every time Peri found a rock album, she showed it to Lapis and said "This is cool, right?". Lapis answered yes with a smile, except when Peri came to show albums of bands she didn't like. Then they started a talk about why Lapis believed that the band wasn't good. Peri was interested to hear everything Lapis had to say about music. She was very surprised when Lapis told her that she plays guitar, as if it were something incredible. Now she insisted that she wanted to listen to her, but Lapis said she had to wait for her mother to arrive, since she had left her guitar in her other city.  
Even so, Peri insisted on hearing her sing. Lapis refused, saying maybe later. Her mother used to tell everyone that Lapis sang very well, but she almost never did it outside home. Anyway, she promised that she would one day.  
At the end of the day, Lapis accompanied Peri to her house, this time the little blonde did agree to walk. They had to take advantage of Peridot's mother wasn't there, so they wouldn't have problems if someone saw them together.  
Before it seemed impossible, but now that she knew how she felt, she could say that walking holding Peridot's hand was the best thing she had ever done. All those days, she had felt a huge balloon of happiness inside her chest, and nobody was going to take it from her.  
"We arrived" Peridot said  
Lapis looked at the house at the end of the block. She stopped, her mouth open. She figured that girls must have felt that way the first time they went home. She was looking at a huge house, still bigger than hers. There weren't even other houses next to that, 'cause it had a huge garden that surrounded it.  
"Do you live here?" Lapis  
"Amazing, right?" Peri replied "Well, not really. It's too much, but my mother likes to have too much... "  
"It's nice"  
Peridot and she approached, until they were at the entrance of the garden. Lapis looked at Peridot squarely, smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her. Her lips were so sweet and perfect...  
"Thanks for this day, my love" Lapis said "It was amazing"  
"Thanks to you" Peri responded, hugging Lapis "I love you"  
"I love you more"  
Lapis kissed her again, and this time she allowed the kiss to lengthen, and she only separated from her when she felt the need to breathe.  
"See you tomorrow"  
"Ok. I love you, Lapis "  
"I love you. Night, Peri "  
"Night"  
Lapis kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave, but she barely took a couple of steps when she heard "Wait!" Lapis turned, and saw Peridot intertwining her fingers, nervous. "Yes, honey?"  
"Would you like to stay tonight?"  
Lapis felt herself blush, but she smiled and nodded.

* * *

"So you live in a huge house, and your room is the basement?"  
"Pretty cool, isn't it?"  
Peridot turned on the light, and Lapis could see her room. The walls were painted green, and of that same color was her blanket. It was full of scale models of planes, ships and famous buildings. It had a shelf full of books, and on the desk there were several boxes of games and toys, especially boxes of legos.  
"Nice" Lapis said, going down the stairs  
"It's not a big deal" Peri commented "But it's my own space"  
Lapis sat on Peri's bed and took the alien she had won for her. She was just going to say something more about the room, when Peri kissed her suddenly. Lapis smiled and continued the game, sinking her fingers into Peridot's hair.  
Lapis separated slowly, ran her hand over her girlfriend's face, smiled and said "Well... Judging by your room, I would say that your favorite color is green"  
"It was before" Peri said, then took some strands of Lapis' hair between her fingers, stared at them and continued "Now it's blue"  
Usually it was she who made Peridot nervous. It was strange to be on the other side.

* * *

Who knows how much time had passed, but for sure it had been at least two hours. Two hours in which the two of them had spent kissing, hugging, and saying a lot of corny things.  
Lapis' heart was so fast that she felt it was going to come out of her chest. They had long since disposed of most of their clothes, basically only wearing their T-shirts and underwear, of course. Lapis was frankly surprised that Peridot was taking the initiative, it even seemed strange, but she didn't complain. Well, she just hoped that... things were fine.  
The lights had gone out a long time ago, so the girls were in total darkness. There was no lack, Lapis was satisfied with being able to listen, and above all to feel Peridot. Maybe she would feel more comfortable if she said things already... But... No, she didn't think there was a problem.  
"Peri?" Lapis said, while Peridot softly kissed her neck  
"Mmh?"  
"I have to tell you something"  
Peridot stopped and kissed her gently on the lips before asking "Something good?"  
"Something... Necessary that you know"  
"Oh. I hear you"  
"I... Well, it's that you must know before... If you want... Not that I think you want now, but ..."  
"Just say it. Did I do something wrong"  
"What? No! It's just... It's just that I don't want to... I'm..."  
"Wait, wait, wait. Do you wanna tell me you're ace? "  
"Mmm... Yeah..."  
There was a little silence. Lapis cleared her throat and said "Is... Is that a problem?"  
"Oh thank godness! No! All this time I was wondering what I was gonna do if you wanted to...! "  
"Stop. Oh my god... I love you "  
"I love you too"  
"Then it's not a problem? 'Cause if it is ... "  
"Of course not! It's a relief for me, that was something strange to think"  
"Well, but I feel bad... If one day you want... You know. You can... run away..."  
"Lapis, listen. I love you so much. I'll be with you all my life "  
"All my life"  
Lapis hugged Peridot and kissed her slowly. Damn, she had no idea how much she could love a person. It was something weird for someone like her. It was almost unthinkable that someone wanted a relationship with an ace, right? Well, that was what she believed. So... Be with someone who will accept it without further...  
"You know" Lapis said, taking Peridot by the shoulders and forcing her to lie down. "That doesn't mean we can't do certain things."  
"Like what?"  
"Well... I think it's hot"  
Lapis took off her t-shirt. She saw nothing in the dark, but she was sure that Peridot was completely blushed.

* * *

Needless to say, the rest of the night was amazing. And even more so was the morning, when Lapis woke up hugging her girlfriend. She loved seeing her asleep, with her face in complete peace. And when she finally woke up, the first thing she did was smile when she saw Lapis. Damn, that the first thing she saw in the morning was Peridot... that something she could get used to.  
"Hey, honey" Lapis said, kissing her forehead  
"Hey" Peridot said, stretching  
Both were wearing only their panties. The T-shirts and bras were lying somewhere on the floor. She didn't need them. Sleeping embracing Peridot was more than she could wish for.  
Lapis sat on the bed. Peri buried her face in her pillow and said "Where are you going?"  
"I have to go to the bathroom"  
"Ok, but don't delay, ok?"  
"Okay"  
Lapis stroked Peridot's hair. She reached out and took her glasses, then turned to see Lapis. Immediately, she blushed and a "Wow" escaped her  
"What's wrong?" Lapis asked, with a mocking smile. Well, of course she knew what was happening, she was topless.  
"Nothing…"  
Lapis went to the bathroom in Peridot's room, and of course, the first thing she saw upon entering was hier reflection in the mirror. _"Wait a minute"_ she thought, and came closer to see her reflection better "No way..." she whispered. She forgot she wanted to go to the bathroom and returned to the room, saying "Peridot! Could you tell me what this means ?! "  
Peri smiled nervously, covering her chin with the blankets. It turned out that Lapis had a huge bruise on her neck, under her ear.  
"I don't know?" Peridot said, shrugging  
"Oh, you're dead little nerd!" Lapis exclaimed, throwing herself on her and hugging her so she couldn't run away, while Peri laughed.

* * *

A little later, when both were dressed, Peridot invited Lapis to breakfast. Surely nobody would notice her presence, 'cause according to Peri, her sister had gone partying, and wouldn't get up until after noon.  
Lapis kept complaining to Peridot about the bruise. Wow, that wasn't expected. At least her hair was long enough to cover it, no one would notice unless they paid special attention. And it was lucky, 'cause the least she wanted was for Aunt Bianca to ask her about it.  
"Someday I'll take revenge" Lapis said, going after Peridot  
"I won't let you do it" Peri alleged, smiling  
"It's not fair! I didn't leave you, you just did it, little trickster"  
"It was an accident! It will desapear in a couple of days"  
"If someone sees it..."  
"Nobody will see it"  
"Have you seen its color? It cries for you to see it"  
"You're overreacting"  
"Of course not, I..."  
Lapis fell silent on reaching the lobby. At night, they hadn't turned on the lights in case there was someone at home, but now in broad daylight, the entire room was visible. It was a very nice place and everything, the problem was the photo...  
"What?" Peri asked, seeing that Lapis had stopped  
Lapis didn't respond. She was seeing a huge family portrait. Her hands began to tremble.  
"My mom and my sister" Peri explain  
Lapis looked at Peridot, but immediately her eyes returned to the portrait.  
"I know what you're gonna say" Peridot said, run her fingers into her hair "But I didn't tell you before 'cause everyone treats you weird when they know you're a Diamond's daughter. I don't care much, but nobody asked anyway. Blaine loves being the center of attention fot this"  
No. Shit, no. It couldn't be like that.  
"Lapis? Are you okay? "  
"Yes" Lapis said, and cleared her throat before continuing "Peridot Diamond, right?"  
"Yes, I know is a little strange..."  
"You have a middle name?"  
"Olive. I don't like that name very much, but nobody calls me that. Except for my auntie, I think she loves to call people by their middle names"  
Olive. Lazuli. Oh, damn. Damn! Lapis bit her lip. No, this must be a joke. She was still dreaming. Peridot couldn't be herr cousin! She would have noticed before! Or... Or not?  
"Are you sure you feel good?"  
Lapis looked at Peridot. Shit, no. She couldn't tell her. She couldn't.  
"I'm fine. I guess I'm just hungry" Lapis said  
"Ok. Maybe you feel bad 'cause you didn't sleep so much, right? "  
"Yeah, sure…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It's this the end of the beginning? Or the beginning of the end?_  
>  Thanks for reading and for you comments, guys :3 you all are awesome


	18. Love Will Tear Us Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What should you do if you are madly in love with your cousin?

Lapis said nothing, even though she wanted to shout the truth to Peridot. She couldn't, she really tried a couple of times on that day, but just when she thought the words were going to come out of her mouth, she swallowed them.  
There was no way for it to work. It couldn't work. Not under those circumstances. Yes, they're not blood related, but she was sure that her aunts and mother wouldn't like this. Not anyone, in general... that is, it wasn't going to be well seen. Adopted or not, Lapis was a Diamond, and dating someone in the family...  
A part of her was very worried. The other part didn't care in the least. She loved Peri, loved her for real, wasn't willing to leave her. But neither was she willing to unleash the wrath of her aunts.  
What should she do? She couldn't tell Peridot, that would surely make them breakup immediately. For Peri it was hard to think about what her mother would say if she found out, this added much more seriousness to the matter. So for now, she was better without knowing it. She knew she had to tell her, and not let that information fall on her like a bucket of cold water.  
She couldn't stop thinking about it all week, and she knew that it showed, because more than once someone asked her if something happened.Especially Pearl and Peridot, of course. She denied everything and blamed thetraining, which got heavier each time. At least that was true.  
Occasionally, Lapis came to think that perhaps Pearl already knew about this, and she hadn't told her for the same reason either... Even though she ruled that out. After all, Peridot was also somewhat reserved with her kinship with the Diamonds. Although she had known her for longer, she sure knew her last name... But no, Pearl wasn't going to hide something like that.  
She had to get that out of her head, it was driving her crazy. She couldn't be thinking about it all day, she was making everyone worry about her.  
It was just that she couldn't find a way to say it without making it sound like something bad. She couldn't imagine saying something like "Hey honey, it turns out we're cousins. Wanna have lunch with me?" No, there was no way to give that news without everything going to hell.  
"Lapis?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You're weird again"  
Lapis ran her hands over her face and looked at Peridot. She looked at her with a face of disbelief. They were in the school yard, in the shade of the tree under which they sat when they weren't with the gems.  
"I'm sorry, I think it's because I didn't sleep well today" Lapis said, shrugging.  
"I'm not as stupid as I look. I don't believe you about the trainings. Something more happens to you "  
"Is nothing"  
Peri looked right at her and said "You know you can tell me anything, right? I'm your girlfriend, you have to trust me "  
"I trust you"  
"So…?"  
Lapis blushed and looked away. She had to do it. It was better that she knew now. Maybe together they could discover what to do... She had to ...  
"Peri, I have something to..."  
At that moment, her cell phone started ringing. Lapis looked at Peri and then at the phone. It was her mother. She shrugged and replied, saying "Hi mommy"  
"Lapis!" her mother said, excited. "I know you're still in school, but I couldn't wait"  
"No problem, I'm in recess... What's happening?"  
"Are you ready? I'll arrive this Saturday! "  
"What?" Lapis smiled broadly. Peridot opened her eyes wide when she saw her "Really? I thought there was more time! "  
"That's the way it was. But now I have the guys putting everything to the moving truck. And I'll take a flight on Saturday, I'll arrive at sunset"  
"No way! I can't believe that I'll finally see you! You don't know how much I missed you"  
"Same here, honey. At last I'll be able to hug you"  
"It's really great news, mommy! I can't wait "  
"Nor me, honey. I don't think it will be long before your recess is over, so I'll leave you. I'll call you as soon as you come out to tell you more "  
"Of course. I love you "  
"I love you, baby"  
Lapis hung up and stayed there like a fool smiling at her cell phone.  
"What happen?" Peri asked  
"Mommy will finally arrive!" Lapis exclaimed  
"Really? I'm so happy for you, honey!" Peri said, hugging her  
While hugging her girlfriend, Lapis stopped smiling. Oh no... She couldn't hide it anymore. She had to say it now. Shit, no... She couldn't ... But she must! Sooner or later she was going to know. She should tell her.  
"Peri"  
"Yes?"  
Peridot broke away from her, and her smile faded when she saw Lapis "Why are you crying?" she asked  
Lapis put her hand to her face, and felt a tear on her cheek. Seeing Peri, her green eyes full of worry, she knew she couldn't. She wasn't going to risk it.  
"I just wanted to tell you that you're very important to me" Lapis said "I love you with my entire life, you're the most important thing in my life"  
Peri giggled in relief and kissed her quickly "Are you crying for that?"  
"No, it's just... Hey, you're the best thing that ever happened to me, and you deserve someone much better than me" Lapis hugged her and continued "But I hope you don't find it"  
"Laz, nobody is better than you"  
"Of course! I'm .. A shitty person. I'm not good enough for you. You don't know how lucky I am to be with you. I don't know how someone like me can be with a girl as beautiful as you"  
"Someone like you? Are you kidding?"  
"I know that I'm cold, that sometimes I find it hard to express myself, that I do things that you don't like... Like smoking and that... But I really try to be someone that deserves you because I love you"  
"Why are you telling me all this now?"  
"I don't know... But I love you Peri, I love you and I want to be with you all my life"  
"Oh Lapis, you're a clod. I really love you"  
Peri smiled at her and wiped away her tears. Lapis expected Peri to remember all that when she finally tell the truth.  
"Hey, let's take a picture, I think we haven't done it"  
"Our first picture and you're going out with red eyes?"  
"I'll hide it"  
Lapis opened the front camera. Peri smiled, but Lapis didn't look at the camera. Instead, she kissed her on the cheek and took the picture.  
"Give me that" Peri said, picking up the phone  
Lapis smiled, giving her another pair of kisses on the cheeks. Peridot started taking a lot of pictures.  
When they smiled for the hundredth photo, Lapis promised herself that she wouldn't let anything separate them.

* * *

The next day, Friday, Lapis was in the schoolyard. Her history teacher hadn't attended the class, so they had a free hour. Luckily for her, Pearl and Greg were in that class too, so she wouldn't be alone. Well, Greg had gone to play at the music room, but Pearl had stayed with her.  
Lapis lit a cigarette and popped it into hers mouth, waiting for Pearl to come out of the bathroom.  
In general, although she could say that she was a popular person at school, almost nobody spoke to her. She preferred it that way. It wasn't that she had difficulties to socialize, it was that she didn't like to do it.  
"Hey Lapis!"  
Lapis turned just as Blaine separated from her friends and sat next to her.  
"Hi, Blaine" she said, after expelling the smoke  
"You haven't accepted my invitation to lunch yet" Blaine said, with a fake smile  
"No, I... I think your friends wouldn't be happy to see me"  
"Oh, they will be"  
"I appreciate it, but I already have someone to be with at lunch"  
"The crystal gems..."  
"Yeah, They're my friends"  
"Also Peridot?"  
"Of course, why wouldn't she be?"  
"I don't know if you know, but she's autistic"  
"So...?"  
"She's a bit silly and sure she spends all time talking about robots. Don't you get bored of being with her?"  
Lapis giggled and smoked before saying "Listen to this: Peridot is the most intelligent and interesting girl I've ever met, and the opinions of a dumb like you won't change my mind"  
Blaine's smile faded and her voice stopped sounding sweet when she said "Be careful how you talk to me, you could regret it"  
"You should be careful how you talk about Peridot. I won't let you say those things"  
"Oh, it seems that you really like your little mentally retarded... Anyway, that's not gonna take away that she's an abnormal and that you're a slut"  
"Insulting me isn't gonna help make me feel bad, half school makes fun of me behind my back, why do I care about you?"  
"Are you challenging me?  
"Just leave me alone"  
"Well, as much as it bothers me to say this, that fool is my sister. And I know she's in love with you, and it would be a shame if mommy finds out about that. You know she doesn't like troubemakers like you"  
Lapis stared at her. That meant that Blaine didn't know they were cousins either? Well, it was to be expected that aunt Xanthe didn't talk about her existence  
"I was just trying to be nice" said Blaine, using her sweet voice again  
"No. You were just trying to get me away from Peridot. I have news for you: Her love for me is reciprocated"  
Blaine stared at her, surprised.  
"And I know you won't tell mommy" Lapis said " 'Cause I'm sure you're blackmailing Peri, and if you accuse her you'll lose the business"  
"You should have agreed to sit with us" she snapped. "But you're right, the girls would never accept that someone with that horrible haircut sits with us."  
That said, she got up and left with her nose up. Lapis had blushed a little and hastened to crush her hair over the part where Aquamarine had cut it.  
"Is everything fine?" Pearl asked, sitting next to her  
"Be honest, how horrible is my hair?"  
"What?"  
"I know, I really need a haircut, right?"  
"There's nothing wrong with your hair. But hey, I can already see your roots"  
Lapis had noticed it too. Her hair had grown almost an inch, so the roots of her hair were already visible.  
"It's a nice color" Pearl said "Brown"  
"Thanks, but my hair is really a disaster"  
"Yes, but it's your disaster. It looks nice on you, you don't need a haircut yet"  
"Cool"  
"Why the sudden interest in your hair, has something to do with your beloved cousin?"  
"She's a fool, she just wants to annoy me"  
"She knows it?"  
"I don't think so, Aunt Xanthe hates me. I don't think she talked about me"  
"I wonder how your aunt will behave when your mother arrives"  
"I'm sure she's gonna pretend she's a responsible aunt"  
"And when can I meet your mom?"  
"I promise to introduce you as soon as I can"  
"Hello ma'am, I'm your daughter's best friend. Yes, she's a little crazy, but I try to get her commit as few crimes as possible"  
"I'm sure she'll love you, finally a good influence in my life"  
"Do you think I am?"  
"Of course, you're like a... Bird mom or something"  
"Shut up"  
Lapis gave her a push. Pearl laughed and also tried to push her, but Lapis stopped her hugging her.  
"Lapis?"  
"Yeah?"  
"You're a dork"  
"I know"  
Lapis chuckled and did 't separate from her. At least not until hearing an "Ehem". Then they saw Peridot a few steps behind them.  
"Hey guys, did I interrupt something?" she asked  
"Of course not!" Pearl replied, jumping to her feet "We only talked, but I have to go... I see you at lunch"  
That said, she left almost running. Peridot raised an eyebrow and said "What's wrong? Is she okay?"  
"Yes" Lapis answered, somewhat surprised, 'cause she believed that Peri was going to claim her for the scene "Are you mad at me?"  
"What? No! Why?"  
"Aren't you jealous?"  
Peri looked at her for a few seconds without understanding, then widened her eyes and exclaimed "Oh, I got it now! That's why Pearl leaves!"  
"So... Doesn't it bother you?"  
"No, I asked that 'cause I thought I was interrupting one of your clods conversation"  
"Aren't you jealous?"  
"No, she's your best friend. Or do I have to be jealous?"  
"No, no, no! I was just asking"  
"It doesn't matter if it's Pearl, but I've heard things in the corridors. Many guys likes you"  
"I don't understand why"  
"Are you kidding? You're beautiful"  
Lapis smiled and ruffled her hair. She would have kissed her, but there were many people present.  
Lapis came a little closer, and heard a familiar sound coming from Peri's headphones, which hung from the neck of her shirt.  
"Are you listening to Nirvana?"  
"Yes"  
"Without me telling you?"  
"Yes, I think so"  
"Oh my god, this is the happiest day of my life"  
"You're overreacting. Hey, I can't help it, so much being with you made me like them a lot"  
"I'm proud of you! Are you ready for something more heavy? Would you like to hear Judas Priest today?"  
"Oh boy..."  
"Wanna come to my house after school? You, me, Judas Priest..."  
"You're a weirdo"  
"I'm not! I'm just an enthusiast heavy metal fan"  
"You know what's funny? You wanna be so hardcore with your heavy metal and your bad girl look, but in fact you're the most sensitive person I have ever met"  
"That's not true..."  
"You're flushed"  
"Ok, stop"  
Peri smiled. Lapis felt her heart speed up. She couldn't help feeling very, very happy. She really hoped things would be fine after...  
"And maybe we can do some stuff" Lapis said, with a smile  
"Like what?"  
"Like what happened in your house"  
Peridot blushed completely and said "I was gonna accept. You don't need say that now"  
"What's wrong with it?"  
"You embarrass me in public! They're going to believe I like you"  
Lapis laughed and ruffled Peri's hair again.

* * *

That afternoon, Peridot went to the house of Lapis, and for a long time they dedicated themselves to cleaning the house. Lapis didn't want her mother to think that everything was a mess, and her girlfriend offered to help. While they were doing it, Lapis played music, and sang unconsciously. In fact, she realized when she noticed that Peridot had been listening to her and staring with a smile on her face.  
The closer the time approached, the less Lapis knew how to feel. Of course, she was happy that she would finally see her mom, but she was worried about what that meant. She knew that Peridot loved her, there was no need to fear...  
Of course she had to fear! She felt that she was going to panic at any moment. She didn't say anything to Peri, she didn't dare. Peri left home, and Lapis felt like an idiot for not doing it. She even wrote a long message explaining everything, but when she finished, she deleted it. Damn. She preferred to spend the whole day locked in the mirrors room rather than deal with this.  
But hey, she didn't have time to be worried now. She had showered, put on "decent clothes", removed her piercing from her nose and took a taxi to the bus station. She knew it was very early, for sure her mother had barely got off the plane and the trip on the bus would last almost two hours, but she didn't want to risk being late.  
Her heart was racing. It felt like the first time she went to school. That was the first time that she separated from her mother from the day she was adopted, and she remembered well how the last class hour she was very impatient to go out and see her mother. That's how she felt now, nine years later.  
When it was time, passengers began to enter the waiting room. It was when Lapis saw her. It was not difficult. At 18, most girls reach the same height as their mother. But Lapis' 5'3" didn't compare to her mother's 5'10". So she saw her just entered. Lapis felt her heart speed up even more. She got up from hers seat, ran towards her, and not caring that it was kinda strange, she shouted "Mommy!"  
Azura barely turn to her when Lapis was already embracing her with all her might. She returned the hug, with a giggle.  
"My little girl! I missed you so much!" her mother said  
Lapis finally released her and smiled. She hadn't realized that her eyes were full of tears, but still she could see her mother.  
Azura Diamond was a very beautiful woman. She had light brown hair, straight and long, light blue eyes and thick lips, and she had a very good figure. Her eyelids were drooped, giving the impression that she was always sleepy, and her voice seemed to be a soft whisper.  
"My little angel" she said, hugging Lapis again and covering her with kisses "It seems that you forgot to mention that you had dyed your hair, besides you cut it off"  
"Do you like it?"  
"Of course I like it, honey. You're beautiful"  
"Just like my mommy. How was your trip?"  
"Very good. It was only a few hours, but I thought it lasted for centuries! I wanted to see my princess"  
"And I already wanted to see the queen. Let me help you with your suitcase. C'mon! I want you to see that I did a great job keeping the house clean"  
"Of course, if you spent most of your time with your aunt you couldn't do a big disorder, right?"  
"Whatever, it's clean! That deserves you to forgive me for dyeing my hair without permission"  
"Well, maybe you don't deserve that punishment"  
"Awesome! I have many things to tell you! You must have seen me in the competition, aunt Bianca was very proud"  
"I want to hear everything, honey"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: OMG Lapis fucking leaved Peridot, guys!  
> Ok, let's go back to the fic. Lapis won't be able to hide this from Peridot for long. How will she react? Wait for the next chapters ;)  
> Thanks forreading and for your comments :3


	19. Shine On You Crazy Diamond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She should've said it before

During the way home and the following hours, Lapis told her mother about everything that had happened the time she was living alone. She told her about the school, the competition, the excellent relationship she had with Aunt Bianca, her classes and the crystal gems. She enjoyed talking to her mother a lot. That's why it was ironic that she didn't even mention the most important thing in her life at that time. Peridot's name wasn't mentioned in the conversation. Although more than once she thought about telling her mother what was going on, in the end she didn't do it. She didn't know how to say it.  
They spent the entire time unpacking Azura's suitcase, and when everything was finally in place, they both sat on the bed.  
"And then Pearl told me that if we needed help to unpack, we would call her"  
"I'd like to meet her, I think you two get along very well, don't you?" her mom commented  
"I guess so"  
"I'm glad you have good friends, I was worried that you would become friends with... Inappropriate guys"  
"You know I wouldn't do it"  
"Good. And tell me, you already met a special boy?"  
"Nope"  
"Ok, ok. So it's a special girl?"  
"MOM"  
Lapis blushed. Her mother giggled and ruffled her hair. A year ago she had told her mother that she didn't care much if she dated a boy or a girl. She thought it would be hard, but no. Her mother had told her that she appreciated that she would tell her, and that she shouldn't worry, that she would never stop loving her and things like that. Lapis was really grateful to have her mother.  
"Then there's no one yet?" she insisted  
"No..." Lapis lied  
"Well, it seems that you have done well here"  
"Yep, everything's excellent" she replied automatically  
"But I think you didn't tell me about... Aquamarine"  
Lapis looked at the floor. Sure, it had to happen. She didn't want to talk about it, but it was time to be honest. Her mother came a little closer to her and said "I hear you"  
"She's... Bad with me. She did bad things to me and I was afraid to go to school.  
"You're not afraid anymore?"  
"Only a little"  
Her mother put her hand on Lapis' chin and gently made her look at her. Lapis thought she was going to say something, but no. She just stared at her, and after a few minutes of silence, she ran her fingers delicately over the scar under Lapis' eye.  
"I'm sorry" Lapis said  
"Why?"  
" 'Cause I got into trouble with Aquamarine. It's my fault she keeps bothering me"  
"It's not your fault, that girl is the one who should apologize. Bianca told me everything"  
Lapis blushed and looked back at the floor. She felt how her mother' fingers gently caressed the area where her hair was shorter.  
"I assure you she won't bother you again. Remember Lapis, nothing can break a diamond"  
_Except another diamond_ , she thought. And that was just happening. Peridot was breaking her, even if it wasn't her intention.  
"Now, I need you to tell me about your nightmare" her mother asked  
"I don't know what you're talking about" Lapis said, quietly.  
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Is _that_ nightmare again?"  
Lapis grimaced and nodded. Sure aunt Bianca had told her about her "nightmare" and she had immediately known that it was _that_ nightmare. After all, they'd dealt with it for a year.  
"We should schedule an appointment with a psychologist..."  
"No" Lapis interrupt "I mean... It only happened once, I don't think it means anything"  
"I'm worried that we have to go through this again. I don't want to see you suffer it"  
"It's okay, everything's fine, I haven't had that dream again, I promise. It's just that I had several problems at that moment. I guess that's why my mind decided to remember me that one"  
"And what were those problems?"  
"Aquamarine, I don't know who the fuck ..."  
"Language"  
"Sorry momy, I don't know who she thinks she is, but I hate that she wants to feel superior to everyone"  
"I'll be on the lookout not to let her get away with it again"  
"Thanks, but I think it's fine by now"  
"I hope she learned the lesson"  
Lapis nodded, but didn't really believe it. Rather, she had the impression that Aquamarine was planning something.  
"By the way, don't think you're cheating me" her mom said suddenly  
"Eh?"  
"I already noticed that your nose is pierced"  
Lapis smiled shyly and shrugged. Azura sighed and shook her head, saying "Is there anything else I need to know?"  
"Well..."  
"Oh no... It was sarcasm"  
"I did another thing..."  
"No, let me guess. Where's the tattoo?"  
Lapis turned her back on her and lifted her blouse. Hell, she hoped she wasn't punished.  
"Is that what I think it is?" her mother asked  
"It is"  
Lapis put on her blouse and looked at her mother. She pulled out and giggled.  
"I had to do it" Lapis explained "It's something important, it reminds me of the best day of my life"  
"I can't believe you remembered it"  
"I couldn't forget"  
"I don't like that you did it without permission... But I think that for this time you aren't punished"  
Lapis giggled and hugged her.  
"Well, what do you think about going out to dinner?" her mother suggested "I bet you must be tired of the macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza"  
"Just a bit"

* * *

Sunday turned out to be a busy day. The moving truck arrived in the morning, so Lapis and her mother spent a good part of the day unpacking and the rest putting things in their place. Lapis couldn't believe the amount of things she had. She had only brought clothes and a few personal items. Now her room was filled with the rest of her clothes, her complete collection of LP's and CD's, books, her guitar and many other things.  
Everything seemed different now that her mother was there. It was as if everything was new again. Although she admitted that she would miss spending time at Aunt Bianca's house.  
However, almost at the end of the day, her mother had told her that she should leave for a moment. Lapis was wondering where she had gone, until after an hour she came back, asked Lapis to go to the garage, and showed her what she had bought. A dark blue jeep.  
Her mother had explained that she had seen it online, and that she had chosen it thinking that Lapis would like to drive it. First she had to learn to drive, of course. But it seemed a nice detail, and she loved the jeep. And after that, they used it to go buy groceries.  
Finally, Monday arrived, and the time to go to school. Lapis was very nervous. She hadn't said anything to Peri yet, not even a hint or something. She tried not to look worried or anything like that. The only thing she complained about was that her mother had woken her up too early to get to school before the others. Even earlier than aunt Bianca woke her up. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise to see that her mother had prepared lunch for her.  
They arrived at the school long before there was another student there. Lapis walked with her mother all the way to Aunt Bianca's office. Even the school seemed different now that her mother was there.  
"Same old school" her mother commented, looking around  
"Hasnt anything changed since the last time?" Lapis asked  
"Well, they painted it"  
Lapis chuckled. Her mother smiled at her and stroked her hair. They arrived at aunt Bianca's office, and her mother knocked.  
"Go ahead" they heard her say  
Her mother opened the door. Lapis saw her aunt smile, stand up and say "Welcome home, Azura"  
Then they embraced. Lapis was leaning against the door frame, watching the scene. Her mother had some tears in her eyes, but also a big smile on her face.  
"Look, you have'nt changed anything" Bianca said "As beauty as ever"  
"Can I say the same about you. Where's Xanthe?"  
"You know how she is, with luck she'll arrive before the bell. I'm glad you remember that punctuality is important"  
"How to forget it after your scolding?"  
Lapis smiled. Her mother looked very happy, and that was what mattered to her.  
"I regret not being able to meet you at the airport" aunt Bianca said "It just occurred to them to do the district meeting that day"  
"Don't worry, I know how that is. Being a principal is very stressful"  
"Yes, but I would have liked to go and receive you. I'm gonna compensate it"  
"Oh, you already did. Thank you so much for taking care of my girl"  
Lapis smiled a little, looking at her aunt, and went to stand next to her mother.  
"Oh, that wasn't difficult" Aunt Bianca said, stroking Lapis' hair "She spends her time in her room listening to Nirvana. She brings back good memories"  
"I knew you would notice"  
"It reminds me a lot of her"  
"To who?" Lapis asked  
"Oh, another teenager who liked to locked herself in her room and made the whole neighbourhood hear Kurt Cobain's voice while her sisters tried to listen to Madonna" her mother replied, with a melancholy smile  
"Auntie Rosa was a Nirvana fan?"  
"Fan? She begged us to go all four together to a concert!" aunt Bianca laughted  
"Oh, Xanthe really hated that night!"  
"Did you see Nirvana live? Why did you never tell me? It's amazing! How was it?" Lapis  
"Wild and crazy"  
"Just like your daughter, Azura. You have a little troublemaker"  
Lapis smiled and shrugged. Aunt Bianca giggled and added "She's one of the nobliest girls I've ever met. Congratulations, you have a very good daughter"  
"I know, I'm so proud of her"

* * *

That day there was an assembly at the school to welcome vice principal Azura Diamond. Lapis had only shrunk in her seat and wanted to disappear when Peridot said _"She's my aunt Azura, I hadn't seen her for a long time"_  
That might be a good time to confess. But no, she didn't. She wasn't able to open her mouth and tell her. Shit, now what would she do?  
Well, she was silent for the rest of the day. She did not say a word and tried to do like everyone else, that Blue Diamond's arrival didn't affect her in the least. It helped a lot that Pearl followed the game and didn't say anything. Even so, she felt that she was going to suffer a panic attack and was going to tell everything wrongly. That's why she had to plan it better. She wasn't going to be able to hide it much longer.  
At the end of the day, Lapis was with Peri in their lockers. As she finished keeping her things first, she devoted herself to watching her for a few moments. When Peri noticed, she said "What's wrong?"  
"I like you very much, clod" Lapis replied, not smiling and still staring at her.  
"This joke has already lasted a long time, Lapis" Peridot said, smiling. "Haven't you changed your mind?"  
"Never. Even if you don't want to accept it, you're the prettiest girl here"  
"After you, maybe. I love you"  
"I love you so much, Peri, you have no idea how much"  
Peridot made sure there was no one else in the hall before kissing her. Lapis hugged her around the waist and lifted her off the floor to stay at the same level. She could be kissing Peridot's lips for all eternity and she would never get tired. All she wanted was to be with Peri all her life.  
"I love you, honey" Lapis said, putting her on the floor again and running a hand over her face.  
"I love you, Laz"  
Lapis smiled and bent down to kiss her again. She felt her heart stop when she heard a "What are you two doing?"  
Lapis turned immediately, only to see Amethyst laughing.  
"I hate you" Lapis said, when Amethyst arrived with them  
"Oh, Lappy and Peri are behaving badly" Amethyst laughed  
"You know how she is, don't insist" Garnet said, arriving with them  
Pearl shook her head, looking at Amethyst.  
"Well, thanks" Lapis said "I thought it was someone important"  
"Hey!"  
"Shut up"  
"Okay, I must go anyway" Peri said "I'll take revenge on you later"  
"Ha! We'll see" Amethyst laughted  
"Bye Pearl, bye Garnet"  
"See you later, Peri" Garnet said  
"Goodbye" Pearl replied  
Peri stood on tiptoes and kissed Lapis, who extended the kiss.  
"Bye, my love" Peri said  
"Bye, honey. I love you so much"  
"I love you too. See you"  
Lapis kissed her on the forehead and waved goodbye. Peri smiled and walked away.  
"You guys make me sick" Amethyst said "Too corny"  
"I know" Lapis answered "But she makes me be like that"  
"Ugh, stop"  
"Who would say you are so sensitive" Garnet pointed, giving Lapis a little nudge  
"Oh, c'mon, I'm not that corny, am I?"  
The girls looked at each other. Lapis raised her hands in surrender.  
"I think you're nice" Pearl said "Peri is lucky"  
Garnet chuckled, and Pearl blushed. Lapis smiled at Pearl.  
"Are you gonna take the bus or...?"  
"Oh! Here you are, Lapis"  
Lapis turned only to see her mother approaching. She felt herself blush a little.  
"Wait a minute honey, I must go with your aunt Bianca a moment and we'll go" her mother said. Then she saw the girls and said, "Nice to meet you girls. Let me see... Garnet, Amatista and Pearl, of course" she said, pointing to each  
"Girls, she's my mom" Lapis said  
"Does this mean you're not gonna punish us anymore?" Amethyst said  
Azura giggled and said "If you behave well, there will be no need for that"  
"Nice to meet you, ma'am" Pearl said, holding out her hand  
"Nice to meet you, Pearl, Lapis has told me a lot about you"  
"Good things, I hope"  
"Of course, you seem to be very good girls"  
"Just like Lapis" Garnet said  
"Well, it's good to meet my daughter's friends. I hope you'll visit us soon so I can get to know you a little better"  
"Sure, it will be a pleasure"  
"I'll see you in a few minutes, Lapis. See you later girls"  
"Bye, Ms. Diamond"  
Her mother left. The girls waited for her to turn around the corner of the corridor. Then Amethyst looked at her, with a wry smile and said "So..."  
"Pearl already knew" Lapis said quickly.

* * *

On the way home, when they were in the jeep, Lapis was still thinking about all the nicknames that Amethyst had given her. They were definitely going to be interesting days.  
"You know, the girls seem very good people" her mother commented  
"They are"  
"Pearl seems to be as nice as you described her"  
"Yeah, she is. She's very nice... "  
"You two…?"  
"Mom! Oh my god... "  
"What? I'm just saying there's certain... chemistry "  
"No, we're just friends"  
"Okay, okay. I'm just saying... You can tell me if-"  
"I'll do it. If it happens. But it isn't happening"  
"Okay. By the way, today we'll have dinner at Aunt Xanthe's house "  
"W-what?"  
"Dinner. Aunt Xathe "  
"Yeah, but..."  
"Is something wrong?"  
"No, no. I have to go?"  
"Of course"  
Lapis grimaced. Got damn…  
"I know you don't get along very well yet, but... C'mon. It's a family dinner "  
"No, no. It's okay. It will be... Nice"  
"Thanks for trying, Lapis"  
Lapis smiled and pulled out her cell phone. She had to do it now, She had to write to Peridot.  
But then she realized that she had a message from Peridot:

_Don't send messages. I'll be repairing my phone and I won't be able to see them. See you tomorrow. I love you_

Oh, shit.

* * *

She tried to contact Peridot by all means. Then she realized that "all means" were limited to her phone and her email. Peridot didn't have social networks. Sure, she played online, but Lapis didn't know how that would help her talk to her. And going to her home wasn't an option, not now. Maybe if she pretended to be sick... No, that wasn't going to work.  
The time was passed very fast, and Lapis didn't know what to do anymore. She should have tell her. She should have told her earlier. She must have told her that day at home, as soon as she knew. Got damn…  
When she least expected it, they were already on their way to aunt Bianca's house. Lapis had dressed formally, like her mother, had even fixed her hair, and for once in life wasn't totally messy. She would look great if it weren't because there was a look of panic on her face that she could barely hide. Oh shit. Shit.  
"Mom... I really have to do it?"  
"Why don't you tell me what the problem is?"  
"Well..." _c'mon Lapis_ "I..." _do it_ "I don't get along very well with Blaine" _SHIT_  
Azura giggled and said "You don't have to talk. Although it would be better if you did. I bet you just have the wrong idea of each other "  
"Maybe"  
Oh shit. Suddenly, she was already knocking the door of Aunt Xanthe's house. Aunt Bianca's car was already there, too. She felt sick, as if she was going to throw up.  
"Welcome, Ms. Diamond," the housekeeper said as she opened the door "Go ahead, your sisters are in the dining room"  
Lapis felt even more dizzy when she saw the huge family portrait. Oh, how could she let that happent?  
They entered the dining room. Aunt Bianca, Aunt Xanthe and Blaine were sitting at the table, but they all got up when they saw them arrive. The Diamonds greeted each other, but Lapis couldn't hear a word. She saw nothing but Blaine. She didn't say anything either, just looked at her, surprised. Afterwards, she smiled and articulated with her lips _"Oh my god"_  
"Lapis? Lapis "  
"Yeah?"  
"Say hello to Xanthe, honey"  
Lapis and Blaine broke eye contact and Lapis went to greet Aunt Xanthe.  
"Well, here's your little troublemaker" said aunt Xanthe  
"Hi auntie"  
She watched as her aunt looked at her, raising an eyebrow momentarily. Then they all went to sit down. Her mother didn't say anything to her, but she looked at her significantly, so Lapis knew she had to sit next to Blaine. Maybe telling her that she didn't get along with her hadn't been a great idea.  
"Wow. Nice" Blaine whispered, when the adults started talking  
"Shut up"  
"I can't believe it. Oh my god, you and Peri... "  
"Shut the fuck up. You hate me, I hate you, but we're cousins now, so... "  
"Oh no. No, no, no. You're not my cousin, do you undestand? You're just a strange in this table "  
"I'm a Diamond too"  
"No, you're not. You'll never be Sky "  
"Fuck you"  
"Oh, and where's our Little Olive?" Azura asked  
Lapis closed her eyes, and listened to Blaine laugh.  
"I don't know" Xanthe answered "I told her to go up an hour ago. Adeline, tell Olive to come up right now"  
"Yes, Ms. Diamond" the youngest servant said, and left the dining room  
"Is her room the basement?" Azura asked  
"It's not the basement, it's just another room" Xanthe explained "She prefers to go unnoticed. Not all of us have a popular swimming champion as a daughter"  
Lapis smiled nervously, but before she could say anything, aunt Bianca said "Oh, the day of the competition she made me feel proud! It really impressed everyone, isn't it Blaine? "  
"Oh, yes. Definitely" Blaine replied, with that awful sweet voice she used. Then, she added under her breath "Although I think we'll remember her more 'cause of the color of her underwear"  
Lapis was going to answer something, but at that moment, the servant returned. And yes, she was followed by Peridot.  
"Oh my god..." Blaine whispered, smiling  
Lapis felt that she was going to faint when she and Peridot met their eyes.  
"Oh my god Olive! I told you to dress appropriately"  
Lapis bit her lower lip and tried not to let any tears come out.  
"Hi Olive! A lot of time has passed! You've grown a lot" Azura saluted, standing up.  
Lapis and Peridot were still staring each other.  
"Olive, your aunt is talking to you" aunt Xanthe said  
Peri seemed to return to reality and looked at her mother, as if she hadn't understood anything.  
"I'm sorry Azura. You already know her... problem"  
Peri blushed, turned to Azura and timidly said "Hi, auntie"  
Azura hugged her, and Peri returned the hug awkwardly. Blaine was struggling not to laugh.  
"Well Lapis, at last you know who Olive is" Aunt Bianca said  
Lapis looked at her, as Peridot sat in front of her.  
"What are you talking about?" Blaine said, smiling. "They're best friends or something like that, right Lapis?"  
"I didn't know you had a middle name" Lapis said, looking at Peridot, trying to save herself  
"Then you knew her as Peridot?" Aunt Bianca asked. "That explains a lot of things"  
Lapis looked sadly at Peridot, and she just shook her head slightly, maybe only she noticed it.  
"Sure, at school we all call her Peridot" Blaine commented  
"So you spend a lot of time together?" Aunt Xanthe asked, and her expression wasn't exactly happy  
"Of course they do!" Blaine said "Who you think was that friend Peri used to go out with almost every day? Oh! And remember the fight with Aquamarine? Lapis was defending Peri"  
"Oh! Maybe you didn't deserve those weeks of detention after all" aunt Bianca said  
"I'm very glad that you get along so well" Azura said  
"Yes, what a surprise" Aunt Xanthe murmured  
Lapis articulated a _"Sorry"_. Peri looked at her a few more seconds, frowned, and ducked her head.  
She didn't look at her again all night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments :3  
> Yep, here comes the angst


	20. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _This is the end, beautiful friend_   
>  _This is the end, my only friend, the end_   
>  _Of our elaborate plans, the end_   
>  _Of everything that stands, the end_   
>  _No safety or surprise, the end_   
>  _I'll never look into your eyes... Again_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. This is not the last chapter :3

Needless to say, it had been the most uncomfortable dinner in the world. Peridot didn't look at her all night, even though Lapis was trying to get her attention. Blaine, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself, especially when aunt Xanthe took advantage to make some sarcastic comment about Lapis. When the dinner was over, Peri had risen from her chair and left without saying a word. Obviously Lapis didn't follow her, but it was hard not to. She really had ruined it.

As soon as she got home she tried to contact her, but Peri didn't respond to the messages or the calls. Lapis refused to accept that she was ignoring her. Surely she hadn't finished fixing her phone yet... Yeah, it must be that.

That night she took a long time to be able to sleep. In fact, she had cried in silence until she fell asleep. She didn't know what she was going to do to fix this disaster. She didn't know what she was going to say. She must have been sincere, mostly because she had no excuse. Shit, what was she going to do now?

She was very nervous on the way to school. Her mother didn't say anything to her, but it was obvious that she felt something was wrong.

Lapis had stayed close to her locker, waiting for Peri to arrive. She didn't know how to react, or what to say. Maybe she should wait for Peri to speak first. Yes, maybe.

"Hey, are you okay?" Pearl asked, sitting next to her

"Do I look okay?" Lapis replied

"Nope. What's wrong with you?"

"I really messed up everything... I'm a stupid liar"

"Woah! What happened? Wait... Are you cryin'?"

"I'm a fool..."

"You're not a fool. You can tell me what's going on, we're friends"

Lapis wiped the pair of tears that ran down her cheeks and tried to calm herself. She was rushing a little.

"I'll tell you... But not now" Lapis said "I promise you"

"Why not?"

"First I have to know what will happen"

"What? Well... Ok, I can wait. Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"I think so"

"Does all this have to do with Peridot?"

Lapis was going to answer, but just at that moment saw Peri walking there.

"How I look?" Lapis

"You look great, just..." Pearl wiped another tear with the back of her hand "Good luck, I'll see you later"

"Fine"

Pearl left at a fast pace, and Lapis stayed there, waiting for Peridot. The blonde didn't look at her at any time, she just opened her locker and began to store her things.

"Hey honey," Lapis said, trying to make her voice sound relaxed.

Peri didn't give the slightest sign of having heard her. What was she supposed to do now?

"It was an interesting dinner, don't you think?" _No! Don't say that, you idiot!_

"Yes" Peridot replied, closing her locker with a slam. Several around startled with the sound "Really interesting"

Without further ado she turned around and started walking. Lapis reacted and grabbed her wrist, saying "Hey, I think we have to talk about..."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say" Peri claimed, letting go of her and leaving almost running.

Lapis watched her go. She was so angry with herself that she punched her locker door with all her might.

"You!" she heard a voice behind her "Do you find it funny to damage school property?"

Lapis turned and saw Agate, who was walking toward her. She didn't look very happy.

"I'm sorry" Lapis murmured, and tried to sneak away, but Agate took her by the back of her t-shirt and said "Oh no! You won't escape again! You're always doing what you want because you're a Diamond, but I'm tired of you thinking that your actions have no consequences"

Lapis said nothing. She was scared, because she felt that huge feeling of rejection that she felt whenever she was close to that woman. On the other hand, her eyes were full of tears from what had just happened, and she didn't want Agate to think it was because of the scolding.

"What's happening here?"

Oh great. Just what she needed. Her mother was heading towards them, with defiant expression. Lapis felt Agate let go, and immediately went with her mother.

"Oh, Miss Diamond!" Agate exclaimed, with a voice that pretended to sound sweet and effusive "I think I hadn't had the chance to meet you... I'm very sorry, but your daughter was..."

"What my daughter does is not your concern"

Lapis was very surprised. Her mother had never interceded on her like that. Normally if someone caught her doing something wrong, she allowed her to be punished, and Lapis knew it was the right thing to do. But now there was something strange. Her mother had a very strange expression. She was surprised, and angry. Very angry. Lapis wasn't surprised that even Agate seemed a bit scared.

"I'll take over" Azura said "That will be all, Agate"

"Of course, Miss Diamond," Agate said, and walked away with a quick step.

Lapis swallowed. She just hit a locker, how many problems would she have for that?

"Are you okay?" her mother asked, wiping her daughter's tears

"Yes, of course" Lapis replied quickly "I'm sorry"

"What did you do?"

"I think I closed the door of my locker very hard"

"I'm sorry you have to put up with this, I didn't know that that woman..."

"What... What are you talkin 'about?"

Her mother looked at her, confused. Well, now Lapis didn't understand anything. What was happening? "Mom?"

"It's nothing" her mother replied "Go to your class..."

"But..."

"C'mon, Lapis"

Without saying more, she left. Lapis stood there, very confused, and then ran to follow her mother. She followed her from afar until she saw her enter Aunt Xanthe's office.

Damn, would it be very obvious if she sat outside to try to listen? Well, it might look like she was waiting to be punished. That won't be strange.

She sat on the bench and tried to approach the door, to see if she could catch something.

"I just can't believe you hired that woman" her mother was saying, and she was angry. "Didn't you read her background or what?"

"Of course I did. Agate has experience maintaining discipline, and has given us very good results" Aunt Xanthe replied, without giving it more importance "C'mon Azura, just tell me what's wrong"

"I don't like that woman, she's too rough with the guys"

"We hired her after you left, how do you know she's not good at what she does?"

At that moment, Azura lowered her voice. Lapis literally stuck her ear against the door so she could listen.

"... in the orphanage where Lapis lived" her mother whispered

"So you don't want her to work here because maybe she chastised your wayward princess a couple of times"

"No. I don't want her to work here because my daughter has scars because of that woman"

Lapis walked away from the door. The memories began to hit her so suddenly that she even felt her head hurt.

Now she understood why she was so terrified of being near Agate. Now everything made sense. Agate was in charge of discipline at the orphanage. Of course, no one was worried that an orphan child would be hit from nowhere. Oh shit. She felt a cold sweat. That's why in her dream that woman was the one who locked her in...

"We'll see what Bianca thinks about this"

"You lose your time, sis"

Lapis reacted and ran to the other hall. She barely managed to disappear from her mother's sight, who left the office and now went with Aunt Bianca.

Lapis didn't know if she wanted to know more. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten the face of the woman who had made her suffer for 9 years. Maybe it would have been better that way.

Anyway, in the end she walked slowly to aunt Bianca's office. Her secretary wasn't there yet, so Lapis didn't have to hide from anyone to listen.

" ...could you allow it? There was charges against her!" Azura said

"I didn't know, Azura. Xanthe hired her, I didn't see anything wrong with her record, so I guess she was acquitted"

"Well, she's not innocent! You have to fire her"

"We can't, Azura, we don't have a compelling reason"

"But Lapis..."

"Lapis will be fine"

"I don't want that woman to be near my daughter! I don't want her to be able to punish Lapis"

"I don't want to offend you Azura. You know I love Lapis and she's a very good girl, but she loves to break the rules. I can't give her immunity"

"Then what do you suggest I do?"

"Tell Lapis not to get in trouble"

"That woman has something against Lapis"

Lapis didn't want to continue listening. She stood up and went to her classroom, begging not to meet Agate on the way.

 

* * *

 

It would have been the same if Lapis had run away from school, 'cause she hadn't the faintest idea what they had been talking about. When she finally convinced herself that it was not worthwhile to keep thinking about Agate (and she had a lot to remember about that bitch), she realized that she still couldn't concentrate on anything. Peridot didn't even look at her, and Lapis didn't know what to do. She made a great effort not to break into tears at mid-class, and she got it, but Pearl kept asking her what was wrong and that wasn't helping her stay calm.

When at last the bell rang, Lapis ignored Pearl's _"Wait!"_  and hurried out to her locker. Peridot was there, but as soon as she saw her arrive, she closed her locker and tried to get away, but Lapis took her by the wrist and said "We really need to talk"

She thought Peridot would try to let go or something, but to her surprise, she turned to her and said "You know what? It's true. We need to talk"

Then she let go of her. Lapis looked at her, waiting for her to say something. Peridot shook her head and said "Why?"

"What?"

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Lapis opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. Then she shrugged. God, she must have looked like an idiot.

"Why didn't you tell me, you fuckin' liar?!"

Some turned their heads, but luckily nobody stopped to see. Lapis felt a lump in her throat. Oh shit. Peridot was angry... No, not angry. She was furious.

"I-I couldn't" Lapis stammered "I didn't want you to... be like this"

"Be like this? I've been dating my cousin!"

"We aren't... I'm adopted, you know that"

"Lapis... Do you think my mom cares about that?"

Lapis wiped a tear from her face. Peridot also had tears in her eyes.

"All that trust stuff and all that trash... I almost believed it!" Peri exclaimed

"I never…"

"Then why didn't you tell me before? You could've told me the night that... Oh shit! You and I spent a night together! "

"We didn't _spend a night together_. We sleep together, it's different "

"And who's gonna believe that? You should have told me that day "

"I wanted to"

"Wait ... You knew it before?"

"No! No, of course not! I don't kn…"

"Did you know Lapis? You... What was all this? It was a joke? Everything you told me was a lie? "

"What are you saying? Of course no!"

"And that's why you spent so much time talking to my sister! You planned all this?! "

"Are you kidding? Blaine was talking to me to try to get me away from you"

"Then you did know!"

"No! Listen, I knew Blaine was my cousin, but I didn't know you were her sister until that night"

Peridot took off her glasses and wiped away her tears. Lapis was on the verge of crying. Real crying.

"I don't believe you" Peri said, putting on her glasses again.

"Peri, I've never lied to you"

"HA! It's your best joke so far"

"Yes, I know I lied to you in this, but listen... I did't wanna hurt you"

"Well, I'm hurt. I think you're a liar, that this was a joke and that you only planned it to hurt me "

"Peri, no..."

"It's so obvious! Why a girl like you was going to look at someone like me?! Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid..."

"No, you are misunderstanding everything. I really love you"

"Stop! You wanted to talk, right? We already did it "

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I'm so sorry. I know I lied to you, but all I feel for you is not a lie. I swear. I swear I really love you"

Peridot shook her head, looked away and said "That only makes things worse"

"I know. But hey... We can make it work"

"What? Are you kidding?!"

Now, some stopped to see the scene. Lapis knew she shouldn't say that. Damn, Peridot was really angry now.

"Do you think this is a damn joke?!" Peridot exclaimed "Fuck you!"

"W-what?"

Peridot pushed her against the wall. Lapis was so surprised that she didn't say or do anything.

"Forget this! Forget all this shit!"

"B-but..."

"I'm breaking up with you. This is over, Lapis"

"No! No... You can't do this"

"Just look at me"

"But I love you"

"Well, stop doing it"

Peridot wiped her tears and ran away. The few people around didn't say anything. Lapis believed that they would make fun of something, but in fact they all saw her with... pity? No, the correct word was "sympathy". Apparently, love breakups were something serious there.

Lapis stood there, but when she finally realized what had just happened, she ran to the bathroom. She had a lot to cry about, and she didn't intend to do it in public.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see a fanart of this chapter, [click here](https://badpearlasrepressednerd.tumblr.com/post/167964962036/illustration-of-chapter-20-from-the-fanfic-in)  
> Thanks for reading and your comments! Sorry for that little angsty time :v


	21. Nothing Else Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Trust I seek and I find in you_   
>  _every day for us something new_   
>  _open mind for a different view_   
>  _and nothing else matters_

Lapis heard someone knocking on the cublicle where she was. Damn, weren't there other toilets available?  
"Lapis...?"  
She tried to keep calm. It was difficult cause of her constant sobs.  
"Lapis, I know you're there" Pearl said. She spoke with sweet voice  
"Leave me alone" Lapis said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand  
"If you don't want to get out of there, don't do it. But I'll hear you"  
Pearl wasn't going to leave, and Lapis knew that she didn't want to be alone at that moment. She opened the door and without pausing to think about it, she embraced Pearl with all her might. She kept crying, maybe even more than when she was locked up. Pearl asked nothing, simply hugged her in silence and let her cry.  
"I really messed up" Lapis said at last, still crying and not letting Pearl go  
"What happened?" she asked "Are you okay? Peridot and you are fine?"  
"Did you see Peridot?"  
"Yes, she passed by us running. She looked upset, Amethyst went with her"  
"We broke up"  
"What?"  
Pearl looked at her very surprised. Lapis couldn't hold her gaze, looked at the floor and wiped away her tears.  
"But... But yesterday everything was very good!" Pearl exclaimed "What happened?"  
At that moment the bathroom door opened, and Blaine and a couple of her friends came in, who fell silent when they saw the scene.  
"Woah! Half an hour ago you broke up with Peridot and now you're with Pearl?" Blaine said "Well done, Lapis. You're desperate"  
"If you trained as much as you talked, maybe you could hold the sabre correctly" Pearl said, and took Lapis by the wrist "Let's get out of here"  
"Bye Lapis" Blaine told her as she passed by her side. Lapis couldn't defend herself. She didn't care. Nothing else matters.  
As they walked down the hall, many turned to look at Lapis and murmured things.  
"Where do we go?" she asked. So far, she'd only let Pearl guide her.  
"Somewhere where we can speak in private" Pearl replied, turning around in the hallway where Lapis' locker was. Sure, she must have guessed.  
The next thing that happened was that the girls were in the janitor's closet. They'd sat on the floor, and again Pearl was hugging Lapis, trying to calm her down. She didn't insist on making the blue haired girl talk. She waited patiently until Lapis was encouraged to say "She's my cousin"  
Pearl didn't answer, and Lapis didn't bother to look to see what expression she had made. Those words tasted bitter.  
"She's my cousin and I knew it and I didn't tell her" she explained, between sobs "I should've done it. Now she thinks I cheated on her to make fun of her. She doesn't believe that our love was real"  
"Oh damn..."  
"You have to help me fix it!"  
"Lapis I... I don't know if this can be fixed"  
Lapis wiped away her tears, but they were quickly replaced by others. They were warm and soaking her cheeks.  
"You have to help me..."  
"Maybe she understands that you didn't pretend and everything was real. But honestly I don't think she'll come back to you"  
"No, no, no! She have to do it! I love her!"  
"I know you love her, but this matter is more complicated than that"  
"No, it's not! We're not blood related!"  
"I know it, Lapis, but your aunt..."  
"Fuck her and fuck everyone else! Peridot matters to me, she needs me, and I need her. Can you understand that?"  
"I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna help you get back with her"  
"WHAT?"  
"I'll help you clarify things, but..."  
"You're supposed to be my friend!"  
"I'm your friend, that's why I'm not gonna let you hurt yourself"  
"You don't understand anything, right?"  
"I understand everything very well. Don't be mad at me, please. I just want you to be fine"  
"I need Peri for that"  
"Lapis..."  
Lapis looked at Pearl. She looked worried, almost ready to cry too. Lapis smiled first, then began to laugh.  
"What's so funny?" Pearl asked, alarmed  
"You're right" Lapis said with a laugh "I shouldn't go back to her. I'm bad, very bad for her"  
"What are you sayi...?"  
"I'm trash! A fucking liar trash! And she's so perfect... Crap, she deserves someone better than me. I love her more than anyone, but I know I don't deserve her..."  
"Listen to me. There's nothing wrong with you, Lapis, you're perfect as you are"  
"Lie"  
"It's not a lie. I swear to you"  
"What I'm gonna do?"  
"You need to talk to her, without crying and without asking her to come back. Just talk about what happened, let her know that you didn't lie to her. You two can become friends again"  
"Yes. Yes, you're right. We can be friends. When we've confidence again, I can try again... "  
"No! You can't do that"  
"Listen to me... You don't understand anything. I wanna be with her, okay? "  
"And what if she doesn't wanna be with you?"  
"She love me. Not now, but she will. And I'll make her love me again with or without your help "  
They looked at each other for a few seconds. Then Pearl looked away and sighed, saying "Well, if that's what you have to do... I guess it's okay"  
"And are you gonna help me?"  
"No. I'm so sorry"  
They heard the bell outside. Lapis stood up and offered Pearl her hand to help her up. "I'm sorry you missed lunch" Lapis said  
"Hey, you're more important than lunch, don't you think?"  
"I must go to class"  
"All right. And I'm really sorry "  
"Thank you... See you later"  
Lapis wiped the tears from her face for the last time and left. Peri was in her locker, but she barely glanced at her before leaving.

* * *

Lapis didn't go to class, of course. She waited for everyone to go to their classrooms and then left the building, sat behind a tree and began to think. She didn't want to cry anymore, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to stay like this forever. Shit, surely everyone in the school knew what had happened, and those who didn't know that Lapis and Peridot had been dating, now did.  
She didn't know what she was going to do now. She no longer had Peri, and if someone had spoken to her as she had to Pearl, she would have left her alone in that closet. Pearl was so good to her. Actually, if she started thinking about it, she was a very bad person. For example now, she was running away from classes.  
Maybe she should wait a bit to talk to Peri, when she'll calmer. For now, she could talk to Amethyst. If Peri had talked to her, Lapis needed to know what she had said.  
"Hey!"   
Lapis was startledand looked at her side, waiting to see Agate or some Diamond. But no, it was Aquamarine. Wait a minute... Aquamarine?  
"Yeah, it's me. Did you expect someone else?" she said, sitting next to Lapis and offering her a pack of cigarettes  
Lapis looked at her, feeling very strange. What the hell was she doing here?  
"Take one, I swear they're not poisoned. Just do it, slut" Aquamarine said, taking one herself and putting it in her mouth  
Lapis took a cigarette and put it in her mouth. Aquamarine took out a lighter and lit it. Lapis took a puff and said "How did you know I was here? Why are you kind to me? "  
"There are not many places to hide in this shitty place" Aquamarine said, litting her cigarette "And think about it, am I really nice to you?"  
"You're right. You're shit "  
"Just like you, dear"  
"And why do you suddenly appear and give me a cigarette?"  
"Look, I understand what you're going through"  
Lapis gave her a questioning look. Aquamarine laughed and said "It hasn't happened to me, I mean... I've broken some hearts, so it's like compensating all that shit"  
"Are you kind because I remember your ex? Shit, you're terrible being nice "  
"I don't give a fuck. You took the cigarette, you're playing my game"  
Lapis nodded and continued smoking in silence. After a few minutes, Aquamarine spoke again "Then it was true that you were dating the nerd"  
"Yes, I think so"  
"Can I ask you something?"  
"I guess so"  
"Why she? I mean... Look, you're not ugly, okay? And Peridot... "  
"Peridot's cute"  
"Yeah, right. But she's... different from you. Very different"  
"I don't know. I like her, I really like her. I couldn't be with anyone else and... I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I mean, I could talk about this with anyone, but I'm with the girl who sent me to the hospital"  
"Maybe if you knew how to fight..."  
"Mom doesn't like me to fight"  
Aquamarine laughed. Oh shit, what the hell was she doing? Suddenly she was Peridot's ex and Aquamarine's friend? Yes, she was screwed. They were silent until the cigarette ran out.  
Then, Aquamarine stood up and said "Well, I'll go to class. You'd better do the same or I'll tell Agate that you're here"  
"Fuck you"  
"Fuck you, bitch"

* * *

Lapis took the advice and attended the rest of her classes. She was relatively calm, although she admitted that she had been holding back the urge to cry. It even seemed that the classes lasted twice as long. She felt that everyone was watching her... But of course they were doing it! Everyone was talking about the little nerd having broke up with Blue Diamond's beautiful daughter. Damn, she hated being the target of gossip.  
When the exit bell rang Lapis hurried out, but not to talk to Peridot. She was going to look for Amethyst. It wasn't difficult to find her. She was out of the gym, talking to some guys about how she had beaten someone in a tournament or something.  
"Amethyst!" Lapis exclaimed, while the boys laughed  
Amethyst saw her and said something to the boys. Then she went to Lapis and said "Hey! There is the most coveted bachelor of the school! "  
"It's not funny"  
"Oh, true. I'm sorry. How can I help you, Lappy?"  
"I would like to ask you something"  
"I'll answer if I can"  
"I know Peri talked to you... What did she say?"  
"Yep, I can't answer that"  
"Oh, c'mon"  
"Lapis, listen. You're my friend, you know it. And I love you and all that. But Peri is also my friend, I can't betray her "  
"It's not betrayal, you're helping me know what I can do. She'll be my girlfriend again and we'll be happy. Everyone wins"  
"Well, listen this. I don't wanna tell you more but... She doesn't wanna come back with you"  
Lapis stared at her for a few seconds. Then she smiled, but her eyes filled with tears.  
"She's angry, I don't think she knows..."  
"She knows what she says" Amethyst interrupted "Lapis, forget it. She won't come back with you. I'm sorry"  
Lapis no longer answered. It would be hard for her to get back to Peridot if nobody helped her. She was beginning to run out of options...  
"Is there a problem?" Jasper asked, patting Amethyst on the shoulder  
"Nope" Amethyst said "I'll leave you two alone. Hey Lapis, if you really wanna date someone, Jasper is available "  
"Wow, thaks" Lapis said, without much encouragement  
Amethyst winked and returned with the boys. Lapis didn't really want to argue with Jasper, but of course she had already started saying "So you broke up with the little nerd?"  
"I think she broke up with me" Lapis said  
"Really? Oh, she's fucking crazy. So are you going out with me now?"  
"Are you kidding?"  
"Looks like I'm kidding? Listen to this, do you remember the bar I told you about? There's a rock band that is looking for a vocalist. And I heard that you sing"  
"I'm really not in the mood"  
"Oh, c'mon. Lapis, you're a very pretty girl, you know? I'm not gonna leave you alone and depressed"  
"The truth is that today I really want to be alone and depressed"  
"As you like. But the band is waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. So... Send me a message if you wanna go"  
"I'll keep it in mind"

* * *

At dinner time, Lapis and her mother were completely silent. Lapis had tried to stop crying so she didn't have to explain nothing. The last thing she wanted was for her mom to find out all the shit she was going through.  
She felt horrible, now that she realized that she really didn't have a chance to come back with Peri. Oh shit, she needed Peri. She needed to talk to her and apologize. But now she felt terrified of sending her a message. She didn't want to be desperate. But yes, she was desperate.  
"Is there a problem, honey?" her mother asked  
 _My girlfriend, who is also my cousin, sent me to hell,_ Lapis thought  
"No" she replied "Everything's perfect"  
"Don't lie to me, honey"  
"It's not a lie... I'm just a little stressed"  
"Hey... you wanna talk about Agate?"  
"Not really. I just try to get away from her"  
"I'm glad to hear that. I'm so sorry you have to be near her"  
"Me too. But anyway, I guess I can handle it"  
"Okay, but tell me if she does something bad to you. I would love to have a good excuse to fire her"  
"And I hope she doesn't give it to you, 'cause she'll surely do it to me"  
Lapis tried to smile. Well, it was enough for her mother, 'cause she also smiled.  
"Yesterday we couldn't talk" her mother commented "I think it's funny that you're friends with Olive but you didn't know she was your cousin"  
Lapis felt a void in her stomach. Suddenly, her cell phone buzzed. She looked at it under the table and saw a message from Jasper saying _"You still wanna see that tribute to Nirvana? Today at 8"_  
"She's not my friend" Lapis said "My the locker is next to hers. Sometimes we talk a little. Maybe Blaine saw us one of those times. But no, I think we're not really friends"  
Each of those words hurt her. Her mother nodded and said "That explains why yesterday you didn't talk to each other at dinner"  
"Sure was that"  
Lapis took her cell phone and answered Jasper.  
 _Where do I see you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins _bad decisions_ time  
>  Thanks for reading and for your comments, guys :3


	22. Poison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You're poison, I don't want to break these chains"_  
>  If you love her, let her go. Even if that destroys you.

Lapis applauded enthusiastically when the band finished playing _Breed_ to close. Okay, Jasper hadn't lied when she said they were incredible.

"So ...?" Jasper asked, smiling smugly

"It was fine" Lapis replied, hiding a smile

"Just fine?"

"All right, all right. It was amazing "

Lapis shrugged and drank from her beer. The truth was that spending time with Jasper wasn't as terrible as she had imagined it. In fact, the girl was being quite nice to her. She could even say that she was having a good time.

"And you wanted to stay alone in your house!" Jasper laughted, drinking her beer in one gulp

"Well, you'll understand that I wasn't very in the mood" Lapis said

"Oh, yeah... And tell me, why did the little freaky break up with you?"

"She's my cousin" Lapis replied, sighing

"Are you kidding?"

Lapis shook her head slowly. Oh no, here comes the tears.

"Are you serious? Oh my god" Jasper said

"Well, no. I'm not serious, I'm adopted, so..."

"Anyways, you're fucked up"

"I know. And I knew it and I didn't tell Peridot from the beginning"

"And how's it that nobody else noticed?"

"I didn't tell anyone that I was a Diamond's daughter. Well, only Pearl knew it"

"And you knew that Peridot was your cousin and you didn't say anything to anyone"

"I didn't know it until she was already my girlfriend, she's also discreet about that she's a Diamond"

"Well, maybe you're right. But even so it's something that at least is intuited, do not you think? At least I knew it"

"I think I focused on other things"

"Sure, like her ass"

"And now I don't know what to do to come back to her"

Jasper chuckled as she opened another beer. She gave it the first drink and said "I don't think she's going back to you, to be honest"

"Yes, everyone tells me that. You, the girls..."

"I thought it was horrible that Pearl didn't warn you that you were dating your cousin"

"What are you talkin' about?"

"You said she knew you were a Diamond's daughter. As soon as she knew, she could say, 'Hey, don't ask Peridot to be your girlfriend' or something like that"

"I-I don't know if Pearl knew that..."

"Do you think she didn't know? Don't tell me you believe that! It's in her best interest if you don't blame her"

"That makes no sense"

"Look, now that you're not with Peridot, she have nothing stand in her way. Or is it that you haven't realized that she's in love with you?"

Lapis didn't answer and gave the beer a long drink. That couldn't be true. Pearl wouldn't have hidden something so important. But yes, Lapis knew that Pearl liked her. Was that something bad o ...?

"Unless" Jasper continued, "You're in love with Pearl, in that case I don't think it bothers you."

"Pearl is not in love with me" Lapis replied, knowing it was a lie "And she wouldn't have hidden that"

"If you say it. I think she takes advantage of you being single"

"And it's not what you're doing?"

Jasper chuckled and smiled. Lapis would like to not feel strangely attracted by that smug smile.

"Unfortunately she don't have the free path" Lapis said at last, with a sigh but very sure of herself "Because Peri will come back with me soon"

"Oh, of course she does" Jasper replied

"It's not a joke"

"I didn't say it was. But hey, I don't see you really sad"

Lapis stopped to think about it. Besides how she'd felt in the morning, she wasn't _really_ sad. She didn't have to be. After all, she would already make Peri realize that it could work. Yes, it was that. She didn't have to be sad if she was going to get back with her soon.

Suddenly, a dude with a sour face approached, looked at Jasper and without saying a word, left. Jasper took another drink of her beer and got up saying "Wait here, then I'll introduce you to the guys from the band I told you about"

"Sure"

She wasn't going to ask anything. The less she got involved with Jasper, the better.

"Hey, I see Jasper finaly convinced you to come here"

Lapis turned to see Aquamarine, who lit a cigarette.

"I used to say 'Just leave the bitch in peace' but she's really insistent. Shit, we even bet. I lost 20 bucks because of you"

"Are you friends?" Lapis asked, remembering the look of hatred that was thrown the first time she saw them near

"Nah. Well... I don't know, it's complicated. I guess I don't hate her" Aquamarine replied

"And am I your friend or why are you talking to me?"

"I guess I don't dislike you that much anymore. It's not fun to bother with your mommy White Diamond taking care of you all the time"

"In fact my mom is Blue Diamond"

"You know what I mean"

"Where's Topaz? I thought she was your friend"

"Topaz is a good girl. Good girls don't come to this place"

"I'm here"

"Yes, but you're bullshit like me and Jasper. No, Topaz is different from us"

"And she's your friend, not like me or Jas"

"That's right. She matters to me"

"Is your girlfriend?"

"Shit, no. I'm not gay. Is Jasper your girlfriend?"

"Are you kidding?"

"Keep like this or I'll lose another 30 bucks"

Lapis laughted, but she was worried. It was obvious that Jasper wasn't kidding when she said she never gave up.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The truth was that having spent the night with Jasper hadn't been so bad. Yes, she could say she had fun, so she didn't regret it. And Jasper had fulfilled her promise of introducing her to the guys in the band. They didn't ask much, they simply told her to go to the rehearsal on Friday, and she accepted immediately. Then she had another couple of beers to celebrate. Lapis had thought that Jasper would rush to do something, but no. The night was quiet in that aspect.

She had regretted it the next morning. She didn't have a hangover or anything like that, but she do have a lot of sleep. Even so she attended classes, even though she would have given the same if she had missed. She was so tired that she didn't realize that Peridot was ignoring her.

At lunchtime, it only occurred to her to take her lunch tray and go to the gems table. After all, they were still her friends, right?

"Wow, I think someone had a bad night" Garnet commented, while she sat

"Actually it wasn't bad" Lapis replied. Then she look at her an added "Oh, it's not sarcasm. I know my voice always sounds sarcastic"

"Hey, I'm so sorry I left you with Jasper yesterday" Amethyst said "I know it was very rude of me, but it's just ..."

"No, no, it was good. She asked me to hanging out with her and we did it"

The girls looked at her as if she were crazy or she would have said something horrible.

"That's sarcasm, right?" Pearl asked

"No. I really went out with Jasper and I really enjoyed myself"

"Hey, hey, hey! Lapis, listen" Amethyst said "I know I bothered you a lot by telling you to hanging out with her and those things, but it's not a good idea. Don't do it, you still have time to free yourself"

"What are you talkin' about? Actually she was very kind"

"Don't do it again" Garnet said "You'll only incite her"

"I don't understand..."

"You two hanging out... like on a date?" Pearl asked

Lapis looked at her. There was a slight flush on Pearl's cheeks, and she could hear that strange tone in her voice. What was the matter with Pearl? Lapis liked her, but she was her friend, nothing more. She didn't want to hurt her...

Oh, but she hadn't told her about Peri. Maybe it would have been easier...

"No, I don't think so" Lapis replied at the end "It definetly wasn't a date"

"Thank godness!" Amethyst exclaimed "Don't let her think it was a date, 'cause..."

"I don't think so. I even told her about my intention to come back with Peri"

The girls looked at each other. Garnet was the one who spoke "Let me tell you something, Lapis. For a relationship to work, there must be something mutual between both parties, and I sincerely think that all this is only on your side"

Lapis didn't respond. She usually exploded when someone told her that, but she couldn't be arrogant with Garnet. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have dared to be rude to her.

"Haven't you talked to her?" Pearl asked

"Nope"

"You should do it, so maybe you're convinced that it's best if you keep a certain distance, at least for now."

 _Now that you're not with Peridot, she have nothing stand in her way._ Lapis shook her head.

"Just accept that you were wrong and that has consequences" Amethyst said "And don't bother Peri. Believe it or not, she's very hurt"

"No. You must talk to her" Pearl insisted

Amethyst and Pearl began to argue. Lapis felt very confused. And it hurt to think that she had hurt Peri. She was capable of killing anyone who dared to hurt Peri. What should she do now that this person was her?

"It's enought" Garnet told the girls "Lapis, you have to talk to her soon. Without asking her to come back, without apologies without meaning. Clarify things, be honest and don't expect her to wanna come back even after that. Keep in mind that it's over, do you understand? "

Lapis nodded. Pearl put a hand over her and smiled to encourage her.

_Now that you're not with Peridot, she have nothing stand in her way._

 

 

* * *

 

 

**POV Peridot**

She hated everything. She hated her locker that was too high, she hated the book for being too heavy to throw it. She hated herself for being so short. She hated being mocked. She hated the lies. And she hated it even more that it was Lapis who said them.

Peri had spent all the previous day crying in her room. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that bad things happened to her. She just wanted someone who loved her. And when she finally thought she had it, it turned out to be a lie. Lapis was even more cruel than all the bullies together. She was even worse than Blaine. Lapis was horrible, and she had hurt her in such a horrible way that Peridot would rather have been beaten. Bruises disappear. But this...

Oh shit. And there she came. Beautiful and evil. Peri resisted the urge to leave. She wasn't going to flee anymore, she had to show her that she didn't care anymore. At least, she wanted to believe that she didn't care.

"Hi, Peri"

Shit. What should she do? She didn't want to hear her silly apologies. She just wanted her to leave her alone. Even so she looked at her to let her know that she was listening. She hoped her eyes weren't swollen from crying.

"Do you think we can talk?" Lapis

"I'd rather not do it" Peri responded

"It will only be a moment, I promise not to bother you anymore after this"

"I've heard that before"

"Please"

Peri watched her closely for a few seconds. Lapis seemed calm, at least for now. "Fine" she said at last

"Thanks" Lapis whispered. She cleared her throat before beginning "I know I'm a shitty liar"

"And manipulative" Peri added, crossing her arms

"Right. I'm a horrible person, and I know, but now I wanna be totally honest with you. No more lies. I don't want you to change your mind, I just need you to listen to me"

"I promise to listen to you, if you promise to really tell no lies"

"I promise"

"I hear you"

Lapis put a lock of her hair behind her ear. She was nervous, Peri knew it. She knew her body language very well.

"You have no idea how long I wished you were my girlfriend," Lapis began. Oh no. Peri didn't want to remember happy moments now "I think from the first moment I saw you. You came without me expecting it, and you smiled at me and it was... amazing. I followed you all day, do you remember? I liked you so much. I didn't mind fighting with Aquamarine for you, and then you started talking to me, and that was great. "

"And then I ignored you" Peri commented, feeling a bit guilty

"That wasn't great. I admit that I felt hurt and confused, the girls told me to stop insisting, but then you came back. You made it worthwhile, and the more I knew you, the more I felt that I should be with you. You're a beautiful girl"

Peri looked at her without understanding. That a girl like Lapis told her those things...

"I was determined to protect you" Lapis continued. There were a few tears in her eyes. Those perfect blue eyes... "I knew that things were difficult for you, and I didn't understand why. Until Pearl told me about the syndrome, and I honestly didn't understand it yet. I didn't understand why that was an excuse to behave badly with you. I remember that that night I read a lot about the syndrome, and next day I told you I knew it. It still doesn't seem like a problem, I never stopped seeing you as what you are, the most beautiful and intelligent girl in the universe. They should realize"

Peri felt that her face was hot. Sure she was very flushed. At last the tears came from Lapis' eyes, and she wiped them quickly with her hand. How did she look so beautiful even when she cried?

"I told you that I wanted to protect you at all costs, that's why I made that deal with Aquamarine. She left you alone and bothered me instead. I thought I could take it, but by the end I started to be afraid of her. There was days when I really didn't wanna come to school, I only did it 'cause it was the only place I could see you. And then you defended me, that was... a decisive point for me, 'cause I realized that I was becoming a coward, and I needed to be strong again for you. I thought I was protecting you, but I only managed to make both of us easy prey. I put fear aside, or at least tried. I couldn't afford to be weak"

Lapis got distracted trying to fix her hair. It was a lost case. Her hair was always messy, it was something natural. At least she'd never seen her with her hair done. But it wasn't necessary. Her blue hair is a beautiful disaster.

"Then I asked you to be my girlfriend" Lapis said suddenly "I was so fucking nervous... I really wasn't afraid of you saying no, but it was still terrifying"

"Terrifying? It was terrifying to be in a very deep pool with a girl who is crazy as hell"

Lapis chuckled. Peridot also smiled.

"And you kissed me" Lapis said "That was the happiest moment of my life. It was amazing, now the prettiest girl in the world was my girlfriend!"

Peri thought she could've said the same thing. However angry she was, she must be realistic. Lapis was beautiful. It was something everyone agreed on. She even once heard her sister say something like _"That bitch is pretty"_. Even at that moment, Peri noticed that some guys were passing by and looking at Lapis discreetly. It was impossible not to do it. Her blue eyes contrast perfectly with her light brown skin. Her thin but athletic body, and her smile... Fuck, that perfect smile. Lapis could date with whoever she wanted. Anyone would consider themselves lucky to have her as a girlfriend.

"And you told me you wanted to keep the secret so you wouldn't have problems with your mother, and I didn't care. I agreed 'cause I..." Lapis paused and looked down "I didn't want Auntie Bianca to know either"

Oh damn. Those words were enough for Peridot to remember why she was angry. Everything Lapis had accomplished with her beautiful words vanished.

"You clearly didn't know, but I practically lived with auntie Bianca. She was the one who warned me that your mother didn't like me. She also encouraged me to be friends with Blaine and Olive, but I had no idea you had a middle name. Less than your family will call you by your middle name. Now I understand that it's a family thing, 'cause auntie always called me Lazuli. Don't you think is something silly? You were my girlfriend and I didn't even knew your last name! But in my defense, you didn't knew mine either. I never told you 'cause I didn't wanna divulge that I'm a Diamond. I didn't want others to see me as Blaine, do you understand? When you were telling me that your mother and sister were horrible, I should've guess that it was them. And again, in my defense, you should've guessed who I was when I told you I was adopted, my mother wasn't here and I lived with my aunt"

"I didn't even know that auntie Azura had an adopted daughter! You said it, mom hates you. She never told us about you. Actually I didn't hear about auntie coming back to the city until that dinner"

"Well... Okay, that makes sense. You know, now that you mention it, your mom and sister have made it very clear to me that I don't belong to the family. Now I really don't know if I wanna..."

"Can we talk about how you found out?"

"Oh, yes. It was that day after spending the night with you. I felt like the world was against me. We had a great night, I didn't wanna ruin it, and I thought about telling you later but... I didn't"

"No. You didn't"

"I wanted to, I swear I do, but I'm too cowardly, too selfish... I didn't want you to know and break up with me"

"Thing that happened"

"Yes, but I tried to think about how I was gonna tell you. I didn't wanna hurt you, and I didn't wanna hurt myself, 'cause as I said, I'm selfish"

"Did you think that if you didn't say anything, nothing would happen?"

"I was thinking about how to tell you with tact. Do you wanna hear the most selfish thing of all? I was sure everything would be the same. Yes, you were gonna confuse you and see that it stunk but... We would still be together "

"Didn't you care what my opinion was?"

"I guess I didn't think everything was gonna go to hell, I didn't want this to affect us. I thought you would understand that it didn't matter 'cause I'm adopted"

"Did you think this was motherfucking Twilight?"

"No... I think that's worst... At least we're cousins and not sisters..."

"It's the worst apology I've heard"

"It's because it's not an apology, it's a... confession. I promised that I would only tell the truth, and the truth is that I really fell in love with you. I lied, I tricked you with all this, but when I told you that I loved you it was real. I swear to you for my life that what I feel for you is real. Do you believe me? "

Peridot didn't respond.

"Peri, do you believe me?"

"Yes, I believe you. What I felt was real too" she said at last.

Lapis hesitated for a second, but then took a step and took Peridot's hands. She didn't remove them. She missed that very much, and she knew it wouldn't happen again.

"I don't wanna be a selfish bitch anymore" Lapis admitted "I know I can't force you to come back to me, and that's fine. I'll do whatever it takes for you to be happy, even if it hurts. I'll leave you alone. I'm not gonna insist, but I need you to know that I still love you with every fiber of my being"

Peridot bit her lip, which had begun to tremble. Lapis came slowly and gave her a slow kiss on the lips. Peri returned the kiss. Lapis' lips were soft and warm. It was really hard to know that she wouldn't taste them again.

They separated and met each other's eyes. Damn it, she could die and reincarnate a thousand times in different parts of the world, and she knew that she would never find eyes more beautiful than those.

"Maybe it's better you stop loving me" Peridot said at last, her voice cracking.

Lapis nodded, released her hands and walked away with a quick step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can do many stupid things after someone breaks your heart, don't you think? Lapis thinks so.  
> Thanks for reading and for your comments, guys :3


	23. The Devil In I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad decisions lead you to ruin everything.

Say that things had been hard was little. It had been horrible. Lapis thought that talking to Peridot would make her feel better, but it wasn't like that. She felt much worse than before, 'cause she felt that she had given up too soon. She hadn't wanted to do it, even knowing it was the best. She couldn't bear the thought of having allowed Peri to get away. Worse yet, the girl completely ignored her.  
It had been almost a month since the day they break up. Yes, a month. A really horrible month. She thought of Peridot night and day, and sometimes she found herself crying all of a sudden. She missed Peri much more than she would like to admit, and she felt lonely since she couldn't talk to anyone. Telling one of the gems would cause them to think that she was going to start annoying Peri again. Or maybe they wouldn't care. After all, Lapis no longer get along with them.  
No. Now she spent most of her time with Jasper. It was something that nobody understood, not even themselves. The more they met, the more they realized that they hated each other. Yes, they really hated each other. Jasper was a shitty manipulator involved in dirty business. They argued so much that they even got physically abused.  
However, they then fixed it with a session of passionate kisses.  
She wasn't her girlfriend, and never would be. Lapis detested her but she couldn't let her go. No, they didn't have a relationship, but they had _something_. An insane obsession for not being alone. And no, Lapis wasn't a victim. The abuse and that _something_ was mutual. In the bar (which by the way they went very often) Lapis began to be known as Jasper's girl. It was unfair. That bitch should be Lapis' girl.  
Well, they could say that she and Jasper were dating, although nothing was official, it seemed to be a mutual deal. You're mine and I'm yours, want or not, take it or leave it. Yes, it was weird, and although Lapis didn't like to have her around, she liked even less the idea of getting away from her.  
Lapis was the vocalist of the band of the bar, Hack. They played song covers and received some cash and beer. That was good. At least until one day the coach told her that she couldn't enter the pool while drunk, so she left the swim team. She didn't need that shit.  
She was missing several classes too. Sometimes she went to school with severe headaches and preferred not to have a teacher yelling at her not to sleep in class. Fuck, she didn't need that either.  
She couldn't accept anyone's shit, and she let them know. Her mother was also starting to annoy her. She told her she couldn't be like this every day. She forbade her to go out and didn't give her more money. Lapis didn't care. She went out the window of her room and earned her own money selling cigarettes at school and she was paid to sing.  
And Peridot didn't even look at her. Shit. It must be pathetic to buy a cigarette for a girl with her eyes swollen from crying. Fortunately, Jasper made her feel better. At least until she opened her mouth and said something stupid. Then the discussion began. By how things were, the best thing would be to end the damn high school and not have to see anyone again, and pretend that none of that happened.  
She knew everyone was talking about her behind her back. They said that she had changed, that she was behaving strangely, but Lapis felt that what she was doing helped not to feel completely miserable, so she wasn't going to stop doing it.  
In addition, her firm belief that everyone was against her didn't help much to improve her attitude. Amethyst spent a lot of time with Peridot and refused to tell Lapis what they were talking about. Garnet insisted that she stop torturing herself by thinking about her. And Pearl was determined to act as if nothing had happened. She seemed to have forgotten that Peri existed, and that bothered Lapis.  
She knew she shouldn't get angry with Pearl, but she couldn't help but continue to think in what Jasper had said about her.  
"Lapis!"  
Wow, just who she didn't want to see. Lapis grimaced as she listened to Pearl approach. Her positive attitude made her feel sick. Jasper was right, Pearl was one of those unbearable bitches who wanted to make everything look nice and clean always. Well, for Lapis everything was horrible and that's why she hated that they wanted to make her believe otherwise.  
"I didn't see you at lunch today" Pearl said, putting a hand on her shoulder as she reached her side "Yesterday either, now that I think about it"  
"I've been bringing my own lunch" Lapis replied, stuffing some things into her backpack and pretending she was looking for something in her locker to make time for.  
"I see. Hey, do you want to come to dinner at my house tonight? Greg says she finally learned to cook something other than frozen food "  
"Thanks, but no. I already have plans"  
"You always have plans when we invite you"  
"I'm a busy person"  
"Or you don't wanna hang out with us. It's okay, I understand that Jasper occupies all your time"  
Lapis didn't respond. She hated that people talk about Jasper as if she were her girlfriend.  
"Are you ok?" Pearl asked  
"Of course I'm ok, why wouldn't I be?" Lapis said, closing her locker stronger than usual  
"You don't look ok. Hey... lately you've been very weird"  
"So?"  
"You're not acting like yourself. You're acting like Jasper"  
"I can act as I please, don't you think?"  
"Yes, I know, but... This isn't right Lapis! The whole school knows what you're in. You know you can have trouble selling cigarettes! You get drunk to classes, if you go..."  
"I don't need a sermon, it's enough with my mother's, do not you think?"  
"She cares about you, and so do I. I hate to see you hurt yourself, I know you're still hurt because of Peri..."  
"It's not true, I don't care anymore"  
Pearl stared at her. You could tell she was very worried. Lapis was very upset all of a sudden. Her temper was horrible now.  
"You said you were worried about me?" Lapis said  
"Of course I'm worried" Pearl replied.  
"Then why the hell didn't you tell me you knew that Peridot's my cousin?"  
"What are you talkin 'about?"  
"Don't lie to me! You knew it from the moment you knew I was a Diamond, isn't it?"  
Saying that made her feel strangely free. Those words stuck in her throat every time she saw Pearl. But not anymore.  
"Lapis..."  
"You always knew it, bitch!"  
"Could you calm down?"  
"You want me to calm down after this... You've always known, you're not gonna to tell me you didn't know that Peri was a Diamond too. Oh no, Miss Perfect couldn't afford not to know something. You should've told me, so maybe you would've helped me find out what I could do... "  
"Lapis, I don't..."  
"But of course! You didn't tell me, it was better to let things have no solution..."  
"Stop"  
"...and that my relationship with Peri went to hell just because it suited you because you're in love with me!"  
Pearl flushed completely. Lapis was really angry. Everything would've gone to hell anyway, even if she'd found out earlier, but it felt good to blame someone else.  
"I don't know what you're talking about" Pearl murmured.  
"Do you think I don't realize? Do you think I'm so stupid? That's why you ask so many questions and now you can 't stand Jasper"  
"I didn't know she's your cousin, okay?"  
"You're a terrible liar"  
Pearl took a step to leave, but Lapis pushed her against the lockers.  
"You should've told me!"  
"You didn't tell Peridot either!"  
"So what?"  
"I hid it for the same reason, okay? You were so happy with Peri... I couldn't tell you, that would've ruined your relationship"  
"Oh, of course, 'cause that was terrible for you, right? Well, look how bad everything went! I'm not with you anyway"  
Lapis had imagined that Pearl was going to cry. But no. She also looked very angry now.  
"Do you want to know something?" Pearl said, giving her a push to get rid of her "That Peridot has broken your heart doesn't give you the right to behave like an idiot with others"  
"You're supposed to be my friend!"  
"You both are. That's why I didn't wanna hurt you. Lapis... What do you want me to do? I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, but Peridot was gonna leave you anyway. And if this is the real Lapis, I think it was the best thing for her"  
"I'm not gonna believe that, you never supported me 'cause you wanted me to date with you"  
"Listening yourself, you sound like an idiot. And you're right, you can do whatever you want, I don't even know why I care about you"  
"Cause you still like me, but give up, after this I don't even wanna be your friend"  
"Fine"  
Pearl started to move away, but Lapis wanted to keep fighting. She really wanted to hurt her, so she just managed to say "So no one loves you, huh? I'm with Jasper, and Rose preferred Greg"  
Pearl stopped short. Then she turned slowly and looked at her.  
"What the hell do you know about that?"  
"It's obvious. You can't talk 'bout Rose without crying" Lapis said. She still felt that illogical need to fuck up more "You must be a terrible girlfriend, she even died to not be with you"  
Ok, maybe she'd gone too far. Pearl walked quickly towards her and threw her fist back to punch her, but in the end she didn't and broke down crying, covering her face with her hands. Lapis smiled. Well, she wasn't going to waste the opportunity. She prepared to punch her, but the next thing that happened was that she felt a blow and her head hit the floor.  
She opened her eyes and saw that she had Amethyst on top of her. The latin girl had tackled her.  
"What the fuck's wrong with you?! Are you gonna hit Pearl?! Are you fuckin' serious, pendeja?!" she exclaimed  
"It's not your problem" Lapis said  
"No one messes with my friends!"  
"You're messing with my girl!"  
"I hope you're talkin' 'bout Jasper, we all know you're her bitch"  
"I'm talkin' 'bout Peridot!"  
"Peridot's not your girl"  
"Not yours either!"  
"What the fuck are you talking 'bout? Do you think I'm date with her? Of course not! She needs friends, and she has me, and I'm not gonna let any stupid whore like you hurt her"  
"You're filling her head with stupid ideas about me"  
"Oh please! Everyone here knows the kind of trash you are, Peri did herself a favor and broke up with you! You were just gonna hurt her, she deserves more than a criminal"  
"I'm not a criminal"  
"Oh, really?"  
Amethyst punched her in the face. Then she stood up and said "That's for Peri"  
Lapis sat up, but Amethyst kicked her in the stomach before she could get up, and added "And that's for Pearl"  
While Lapis tried to catch her breath, she saw Amethyst take Pearl from her wrist and carry her away.  
Lapis got up from the floor, taking a deep breath, and promised herself that it wouldn't stay that way. Who the fuck does she think she is? She was going to get revenge.  
Jasper had been right, the fucking Pearl always knew that shit.  
Lapis took her cell phone and opened the front-facing camera to see if the blow had left marks. No, nothing, but her right cheekbone hurt a lot. Anyway, it hadn't mattered if it had left a mark, she still looked pretty fucked up. She had red eyes and huge bags under these. Her hair had grown a lot, it was already below her shoulders. It would look nice, if it hadn't been 'cause she hadn't dyed it again. Her brown roots almost reached two and a half inches, and the blue was washed out and lifeless. It was far from being the bright blue she had been proud of. But she didn't care how her hair looked. While she smiled and kissed well, Jasper didn't care about the rest.  
"Hey you!"  
Lapis turned to see Agate approaching her. Lapis kept her phone and said "Mommy said you shouldn't come near me"  
"From what I've heard, mommy would love to be able to return you under my care, insolent brat" Agate replied "Anyway, your aunt Bianca wants to see you"  
"Now?"  
"Now. Hurry up"  
Lapis passed by Agate without looking at her. Great, just what she needed. Another sermon.

* * *

Lapis opened the office door and said "Do you wanted to see me?"  
Aunt Bianca looked up, nodded and asked "Come in and sit down"  
Lapis obeyed without saying anything. Her aunt didn't look happy at all. Damn.  
"I guess you know why you're here" she said.  
"Not really" Lapis replied  
"Have you something to say?"  
"If it's because of the fight a few moments ago..."  
"Do you were fighting?"  
"No! Well, someone punched me, but I didn't do anything!"  
"No, it's not 'cause of that. Tell me something Lazuli, are you aware of how serious it's to sell illicit substances at school?"  
Lapis felt a cold sweat on her back "I don't know what you talkin' about"  
"You don't know what I'm talking about" aunt Bianca repeated "Give me your backpack"  
"What?"  
"Your backpack. Now"  
Lapis stared at her for a few seconds. Aunt Bianca was very angry, Lapis knew it. She was completely screwed. At last she lowered her eyes and gave the woman her backpack. She opened it and began to take out the things inside. Headphones, notebooks, a empty bottle. And a small white box. Aunt Bianca looked at her, and Lapis shrank in her seat.  
"Let's see" the woman said while opening the box. Inside there were about 50 cigarettes. Lapis grimaced. Yes, she was really screwed.  
"Where did you get this from?" her aunt asked, very serious  
"I bought them from a guy, I don't know his name. He sells them to me wholesale" Lapis confessed, without looking at her  
"And you thought it was a great idea to come looking for clients at my school?"  
"In fact they sell very well"  
"It's not funny. Well, your little business is over"  
"Are you gonna confiscate them?"  
"Of course, girl"  
"Why? How do I know you won't smoke them?"  
Aunt Bianca looked at her with an eyebrow raised. Then she emptied the cigarettes into the trash can, and immediately poured them her cup of coffee. Shit, she wasn't kidding.  
"Do you know I have to notify the police in the event that a student puts drugs into school?"  
"Drugs? Just are cigarettes!"  
"Legal drugs, but drugs anyway"  
"Are you gonna call the police?"  
Lapis was beginning to feel really scared. If that happened, she had to give infomation 'bout the one who sold them. And that included admitting to entering a bar being underage.  
"No, not this time" Bianca said. Lapis sighed "I don't want to make a scandal. I didn't even tell your mother or your aunt. This will be between us"  
"Great"  
"With a condition"  
"Fine. Which one?"  
"Stop acting like a criminal"  
Lapis let out a grunt. She was sick of that shit.  
"Do you think we didn't notice it?" her aunt continued "What the hell is going on with you? Suddenly nothing matters to you"  
"Are you gonna take a long time with this? I have history class and..."  
"You haven't been to that class for two weeks. Do you know what I mean? You left the swimming team, your grades went downhill..."  
"I don't wanna hear this"  
"Well, if you don't want to hear it, you could behave properly again, don't you think?"  
"I don't care! Stop berating me like you're my mother! You're not my mother! In fact you're not even my aunt! I don't wanna be part of this family."  
The woman stared at her, nodded slightly and pulled out her phone. Then she put it in front of Lapis. The voice recorder was activated.  
"Could you repeat that last?" Bianca said "It will be a perfect Christmas gift for Xanthe"  
Lapis remained silent. For the first time in all day, she felt guilty.  
"No?" the woman asked, taking the phone "How easy it's to open your mouth, right?"  
"I'm sorry" Lapis murmured  
"Do you want to know something? Blaine has done a lot of bad things, but at least she has never made her mother cry"  
Lapis ducked her head. She didn't dare answer.  
"And you know what else, I think you're ungrateful. You're really doing a lot of damage to your mother, you know? I think it wouldn't cost you anything to ask for forgiveness and start behaving well, 'cause Azura has a lot of patience for you"  
Lapis nodded.  
"What's going on with you? Where's the girl who was afraid to defraud her mother? You've changed a lot in just a month. Do you have nothing to say?"  
Lapis shook her head. She didn't dare to say anything, she felt very embarrassed.  
"Well, you're suspended for a week"  
"What?"  
"One week"  
"But... How am I gonna explain that to mom?"  
"You said you have a fight before coming here. We can make it real , what do you think?"  
"All right..."  
"I promise to keep the secret, but I wanna see a change in you"  
"Yes, auntie"  
"Ms. Diamond" the woman corrected "I thought you said I wasn't even your aunt."  
Lapis grimaced.  
"That will be all. I'll see you next week"  
Lapis sighed, took her things and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, she's a dork.  
> Thanks for reading and for te comments guys :3 I love you all!


	24. Still Loving You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Your pride has built a wall, so strong that I can't get through_   
>  _Is there really no chance to start once again?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty short. I'm so sorry, I was very busy these days :'v

POV Peridot

"Ok, ok, I understand your point" Peridot said "But you didn't have to punch her"

"Oh, I had to" Amethyst replied, opening her chips bag

A few minutes ago, Amethyst appeared with Pearl, who was crying and left before Peri could ask what was going on. She asked Amethyst, and she told her the story of how Lapis was an idiot and she had done justice. At least those were her words.

"We have to accept it, your girlfriend is a bad person now" Amethyst pointed, with a full mouth

"You don't have to tell me twice. And she's not my girlfriend, thank you very much" Peridot answered

Peri hated that people asked her about Lapis. Amethyst did it just to annoy, but she wasn't the only one. Some people even came to ask how everything was going, and Peri had to respond with a " _We're not together anymore_ ".

Actually, most of the time she didn't care about Lapis, but suddenly there were times when she really felt sad to think they didn't even talk anymore. She hadd really loved Lapis, she had never felt anything for anyone and she suddenly gave her whole heart to Lapis. Big mistake. She didn't know if it was 'cause she'd been blinded by the love she had for her, but now she was finally realizing that Lapis wasn't at all like she believed. In fact, as Amethyst had said, Lapis was a bad person. A horrible person. Everybody knew. Was she  always like this? Why did she notice it so far?

To say that they didn't talk to each other was very little. Actually Lapis used to pretend that Peridot didn't even exist. When they were going to cross in the hallways, Lapis looked away and accelerated the pace. She didn't look at her, and of course, they didn't cross word. Also, everyone knew that she was dating Jasper now. Peri wasn't jealous or anything, until she was happy for her. But at the same time she worried a little, 'cause she knew that surely the blue-haired girl was doing bad things.

And she said she worried a little 'cause she was more worried about herself. Even though she had sworn to her mother a thousand times that she had nothing to do with Lapis, her mother had threatened to leave her without food if she saw her near Lapis. Thank heaven she didn't know what was between them, or surely now Peri would be dying of starvation in her room.

"I'm sorry Peri, but if that bitch does something to Pearl again..." Amethyst began

"You don't have to tell me, just do it" Peri interrupted "She doesn't matter to me"

"Yeah! I'm proud that you have get over her"

"Get over her? It wasn't very difficult actually"

"If you say it..."

"Why you don't believe me?"

"I'll believe you when I see you dating someone else"

"Are you kidding? Did you notice _how good_ was my only relationship?"

"Well next time try not to choose... someone like that"

"Wasn't she supposed to be your friend?"

"She was, until she started acting like a fuckin' bitch. I tried to warn her not to get involved with Jasper, and she said 'Shut the fuck up, I know what I'm doing'. As far as I'm concerned, go to hell Lapis"

"Is Jasper really that bad?"

"Oh, Jasper is the most kind and attentive person in the world. At least until you do something she don't like. But I think she and Lapis complement each other very well, you know? Sometimes Jasper has bruises and scratches "

"Are you sayin' that Lapis does it?"

"I'm sure. No one else would dare to confront Jasper. Also Lapis has had some bruises, haven't you noticed?"

"Honestly I don't pay much attention to her"

"They're gonna kill each other. Or at least, one of them will come out very hurt. I don't like this at all. Two such temperamental girls shouldn't be together "

"Lapis wasn't like that with me"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah... And I don't wanna talk about Lapis anymore. Fuck her"

"Yes, you'd better stop talkin' about her"

"Why?"

"She's coming here"

Peridot didn't turn around. In fact, she stayed very still when listening to footsteps approaching.

"What's wrong? Do you have a problem?" Amethyst said

Peri was going to tell her not to get her attention, but in fact Lapis was already there, and as far as Peridot could see, she was looking for a fight.

"Listen" Lapis said, not looking at Peridot, as if she weren't there "If you dare to punch me one more time..."

"What are you gonna do? Going to cry with your mom for the beating I'm gonna give you?" Amethyst interrupted

"You only knocked me down 'cause you attacked me from the back"

"Just as you were gonna attack Pearl?"

Peridot turned to look at Lapis. For a fraction of a second they met each other's eyes, but immediately Lapis looked away. That was enough to know what was happening. Peridot knew her. She was sad, but she wanted to look angry.

"Just don't bother me" Lapis said

"And you don't bother me or my friends, did you understand? Or I'll do more than just knock you down"

"Amethyst..." Peri muttered "Don't do it"

"As if you could do more" Lapis replied

"Why don't you try, puta?"

Lapis threw her backpack to the floor and Amethyst advanced towards her, but before anything happened, Peri got in the middle of them and said "Stop! You don't have to do this Amethyst, you already won, you don't have to prove anything. She just wants to get you in trouble"

Amethyst looked at her for a second and relaxed, saying "Yeah, you're right"

"And you" Peri continued, turning to Lapis "Not 'cause you've ruined your life you must ruin it to others"

Lapis looked at her, somewhat surprised. Peridot hated to see her like that. She had a disheveled look and an expression of permanent weariness, as if she were an addict. She probably was.

"I don't know if you think people think you're cool or something, but it's not true" Peri continued "In fact everyone feels sorry for you! Before they respected you... They even loved you! But now they are just disgusted to see the trash you really are!"

Lapis said nothing, just stared at her. Peri heard a _"C'mon"_ from Amethyst and felt a hand on her shoulder, but she let go. Now it was time to let off steam.

"And don't you dare blame me" she added "Because this was all your decision! And yeah, we break up, but I didn't ask you to being rude to everyone, or to get drunk every day, or start being a fucking junkie! You decided that for yourself! And I can only think that I'm glad I break up with you before I was dragged into all that shit"

"W-what?"

"Is this how it works? Pretend to be nice to stay with a person and then show who you really are? It's horrible to know that we thought you were a good person. If this is the real Lapis, I hate her. I hate you and I don't wanna have you near"

Lapis said nothing. She took her backpack from the floor and left quietly. Peri wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Wow, that was really savage" Amethyst said, looking to where Lapis had gone

Peridot sighed. She hoped she didn't have to know about Lapis in a long time.

 

* * *

 

POV Lapis

"One week Lapis! I can't believe you haven't learned your lesson!"

Lapis sighed and lowered her head. Her mother hadn't stopped scolding her all the way home, and continued now that they were in the living room. Lapis was tired of hearing the same old discourse...

"I thought you said you weren't gonna to fight again" Azura said "Why was it this time?"

"I didn't do anything, she just hit me suddenly" Lapis said

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"I'm just telling you what happened"

Her mother sat next to her, stroked her hair and said, using a softer tone "What's happening, Lapis?"

"About what?"

"About you. You're behaving badly, I don't know what to do to help you..."

"Nothing happens to me"

"Honey, I'm your mom. I know you. I know when you're lying"

Lapis wanted to break into tears and tell her mother what she felt, without lies. But she can't. Her face didn't change expression when she said "Everything's fine, mommy"

"Nothing's fine. Just look at you, you're suspended, you lie to me, you run away from home..."

"You're overreacting"

"Don't talk to me like that. Lapis, I don't wanna be strict with you, believe me, but you're not cooperating. We never hide things, you know you can trust me. What happened then? I know you're not like that. I think your girlfriend is a bad influence... "

"I don't have a girlfriend!"

"That girl you're dating, Jasper..."

"She's not my girlfriend"

"Well, it doesn't matter. I don't like her... It's not a good influence on you, Bianca says..."

"I know what the limits are. She doesn't force me to do anything that I don't wanna do"

"Then it's worse. You're making many mistakes yourself"

Lapis frowned. She was really tired of all that shit.

"I know you're think is very easy to do all that bad things" Azura continued "But your actions have consequences. It's not too late to be who you were again Lapis. You're so much better than this. I want you to remember that. Help me to undestand you, 'cause I don't know what to do with you anymore"

"Can I go to my room?"

Her mother looked at her and nodded. Lapis got up, but heard a "You're grounded"

Well, she couldn't wait less. But hey, that night they were going to give a concert, and she wasn't going to miss it.

For now that didn't worry her. She didn't care about being suspended and grounded. The only thing she could think about was that Peridot had told her she hated her. That really hurt her, but nothing in the world would make her admit it.

What was happening? Peri had called her "fucking junkie". As far as she knew, she wasn't a junkie... Peri had the wrong idea. Sure was that, that's why she thought she hated her. She didn't deserve to be hated. Maybe she should've said something, clarified things, instead of running away.

Poor Peri, was totally influenced by Amethyst. Damn, that girl pushed Peri further away from her. But Lapis couldn't do anything, much less while she was suspended. She had no one left, she had ruined it with Pearl too. It didn't matter, she didn't need that liar bitch nearby. She didn't need anyone.

Damn, she had believed that she had already get over Peridot in a certain way, but no. The fact that the blonde's words had hurt her so much only made her realize that she cared. More than she wanted to admit. Damn it, why had she given up? She needed to get her back... No, she couldn't, Peri hated her. What could she do?

Lapis threw herself on her bed. Shit, everything would be so much easier if they had never moved.

  

* * *

  

As expected, that night Lapis escaped from home and went to the bar. She didn't fool anyone, she knew that her mother realized she wasn't there, but she didn't care. What she was going to do? She was just going to scold her again and that's it. She couldn't messed up things even more anyway.

Even so, she felt very bad 'ecause of the Peridot affair. All afternoon she was thinking about it, she couldn't even concentrate at the time of going on stage. Not that she had given a bad show, but she hadn't done as well as always, and the boys had made her notice. It must be a record: disappoint everyone in a single day.

She even disappointed Jasper. She was so busy feeling miserable and drinking that she wasn't paying much attention to her. And Jaser didn't take that too well.

"I know what's the matter with you" the girl said, kissing her on the cheek. Lapis grimaced and said nothing "I heard you were suspended from school"

"What? Who told you that? No one heard us" Lapis replied, surprised

"Hey, I see you can talk. Well, everyone knows, I have no idea who started the rumour. So it's true"

"Yep"

"Why?"

"My aunt caught me with cigarettes"

"Seriously? I told you to be careful where you made your fucking sales and...! "

"I did it. She didn't catch me doing it. She called me at her office and for some reason she already knew it. Sure someone gave me away"

"Obviously. Any of your friends? "

"Nah, I don't think so"

"I think you trust them too much"

"I thought you liked them"

"I like them. Sometimes. When they don't wanna be the ones that always save the day. That's annoying "

"Like you"

Jasper smirked and gave her another kiss on the cheek, and went down to her neck.

"Stop, babe" Lapis said "Not now please. I'm not in the mood "

"You're never in the mood"

Lapis shrugged. She knew that Jasper hadn't taken her asexuality very well, although she wanted to pretend she didn't care. Lapis knew very well that Jasper fantasized about having her in her bed or something like that. It was even weird to think about it. She knew that sooner or later there was going to be a big fight for it, but she tried not to think about that much. For now, she wasn't in the mood for any interaction. She was busier in finishing her beer. She had already lost count of the beers and the shots. Unfortunately she hadn't lost count of everything that had ruined that day. She was stupid, she was ruining her life in exchange for... In exchange for what? Of a pathetic and unhealty relationship? Oh, she was a complete idiot.

And Peri... Damn, she really missed Peri. And she couldn't do anything 'cause although she could to please the blonde again, they could never be girlfriends again. What a fucking shit... But she loved her, and she loved her so much that she felt that she was burning inside.

She felt Jasper's hand on her leg, and her breath on her neck. She felt she was coming to kiss her on the lips, but Lapis got up without warning and said "I'll be back in a minute"

"You really know how to kill the moment, you asshole!"

Lapis ignored her and made her way through the crowd who shouting and chanting the songs of the band in turn, and went out the back exit, in the alley. There, the sound of the noise inside was heard in isolation. Lapis leaned against the wall, hoping not to vomit 'cause she had got a little dizzy from the sudden race.

Lapis pulled out her cell phone. It was fortunate that she hadn't deleted her number... What made her think she was going to pick up the phone? It doesn't matter, she had to try...

The phone rang one... two... three... seven times.

"Lapis?"

"Peridot!" Lapis exclaimed, feeling a kind of happiness balloon to pronounce that name

"Lapis, do you have any idea what time it is? What do you want?"

"Well I'm..."

"Wait a minute... Are you drunk?"

"I just... Do you remember you told me you wanted to hear me sing? I have a song for you right now"

"No, please, it's too late and..."

" _If we'd go again all the way from the start_ " Lapis began to sing " _I would try to change the things that killed our love..._ "

"Hey, calm down"

" _Yes, I've hurt your pride, and I know what you've been through..._ "

"Stop"

Lapis broke down crying and let out a couple of sobs before continuing " _You should give me a chance... this can't be the end..._ "

"Lapis..."

" _I'm still loving you!_ "

After this last verse, Lapis burst into tears and couldn't continue. She heard a small cough from the other side of the phone and then Peri said "You should go home, Lapis... Don't call me again"

After this, she hung up. Lapis put her phone in her pocket and kept crying. At least Peri hadn't sounded angry. She told her to go home... She still cared about her?

"Are you going back here or what?" Jasper asked from the door "Hey! Are you crying? What happens?"

"Nothing" Lapis replied "Do you wanna give me that kiss?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas guys! I'm sorry for the delay :c  
> To listen to the song that Lapis sang for Peri, [click here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYyarcp5LtU)  
> To listen to Lapis' band setlist on Spotify, [click here](https://open.spotify.com/user/mwytk5v5jsg8h531hdepignxm/playlist/3q89eiVWfb6Z7oYPRCW7VL) (Actually is my hard rock/heavy metal playlist :v)  
> If you wanna ask something to a character, put your question in the comments. They will be happy to answer (maybe)  
> Thanks for reading guys! :3


	25. The Show Must Go On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis makes some decisions about the direction she should follow

Upon returning to school after her suspension week, Lapis almost wished she hadn't had to return. In her absence, many new rumors about her were heard in the hallways. Even one of them said she'd gone to jail for drug trafficking.  
The truth was that school was an unpleasant place for her now. Mainly because she had no friends left. At lunchtime she used to sit on what used to be Peridot's table, cause now she was sitting with the crystal gems. This only served to draw more attention from everyone, and she could no longer pretend not to notice. Maybe it would have been less shameful if Jasper sat with her from time to time, but no. The Mexican girl used lunchtime to train. In general Lapis liked to be alone, but not when you knew that everyone looked at you out of the corner of your eye and talked about you.  
During all those days, Lapis couldn't stop thinking about what she had done. Calling Peri being drunk to tell her that she missed her was completely shameful once she realized how ridiculous it must have been. Of course, she didn't call Peri again, nor did she try to talk to her. In fact, she tried to avoid her as much as she could. After those days, she realized that it was no longer worth being sad about something that was never going to be fixed. The best thing for her was to forget Peridot and move on with her life. And no, that didn't mean she wouldn't have cared. She cared 'about Peri, but she couldn't wait for a miracle to happen. It was time to let her go. All that love was just pain.  
She wish everything else in her life was as clear as her determination to leave Peridot behind. No, the truth was that everything was shit. For example, when Aquamarine used to bother her, it was unpleasant, but now she was getting involved with girls who were more serious. As far as Lapis knew, they were members of a gang. She'd provoked them while drunk at the bar, and they'd given her a good beating that ended in a sprained left wrist and several bruises. They'd only left because Jasper had appeared to save her. And that only made her think that if even those bad girls didn't mess with Jasper, it couldn't be good for Lapis to hang out with her. But hey, the fact was that when she got home, Lapis had bandaged her wrist to immobilize it. And her mother didn't ask her anything the next day, or the days that followed.  
That was the second shitty thing that had happened to her. That her mother ignored her. Well, to say that was to exaggerate. She didn't ignore her, but since the day she scolded her, she didn't insist on wanting to know what was happening. Lapis couldn't help but feel bad about it, but at the same time she remembered that she herself had asked that she not bother her with more questions. She didn't have to complain about something that she herself had sought.  
In short, the girl felt that she has hit bottom. There wasn't a single thing in her life that was right. And everything was her fault. She could've broke up with Peridot, cry and move on. But no, she decided to get angry with everyone and ruin everything. Everything would've been definitely better if she hadn't helped her put the book in her locker.  
And there she was, so focused on her thoughts that she didn't realize that someone was approaching her from behind until she was already there. A spray of cold water fell squarely on her back, causing each of her pores to scream in pain. She heard some silly giggles, but didn't turn around 'cause she already knew what was happening.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry Lapis!" she heard Blaine's voice between giggles of her friends "I tripped. I'm a bit clumsy"  
Lapis didn't respond, she wasn't going to give her satisfaction. Suddenly, Blaine also felt she had the right to annoy more than usual. Surely she believed that Lapis wouldn't say anything for fear of having more trouble with Aunt Xanthe. Well, she was right.  
"Do you want me to lend you dry clothes?" Blaine asked "I'll do it with pleasure. But I don't have slut clothes. "  
"So what's that you're wearing?" Lapis muttered, not raising her glance of the table.  
"Excuse me?"  
Lapis didn't respond. She had fallen in her game.  
"Did you hear what she said, girls?" Blaine said "Sure mommy will love that..."  
"Is there a problem here?"  
Lapis looked straight ahead. Topaz was standing there, looking at Blaine. Lapis had never heard her speak. She had an unusually sweet voice.  
"Of course not" Blaine replied "C'mon girls"  
Lapis listened to their steps away. Topaz smiled and sat down facing Lapis. Everything seemed very strange to her. Aquamarine wasn't even close.  
"Thanks" Lapis said, as nothing else occurred to her.  
"You're welcome" Topaz answered, and Lapis was still surprised by her voice  
"Why did you do that? I don't owe you anything "  
Topaz didn't answer, she just shrugged. Lapis didn't understand anything. Normally the girl did things like that for Aquamarine... Unless Aquamarine herself sent Topaz to protect Lapis... It was the only logical reason, 'cause she had never spoken to Topaz.  
Nor did she understand why Aquamarine was kind to her after everything she did to her. It could've been 'cause she felt guilty, but Lapis ruled out that possibility. Aqua was a bitch who'll never regret anything. But then what happened?  
"Do you need dry clothes?" Topaz asked "I can get you some ones"  
"Thanks, but I'll be fine" Lapis said  
"Are you sure? It's getting cold, you could get sick"  
"Yeah, I'm…"  
"Lapis!"  
Lapis turned, as did the people at the tables around her. Jasper was approaching her, with an expression that would have made anyone else flee. Oh no, not again ...  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed, reaching the table  
"Having lunch" Lapis replied, not looking at her "It's what normal people do at this time"  
"What's she doing here?"  
"You should be kinder to the person who protected your girlfriend" Topaz replied, unimpressed. She must be as huge as Jasper.  
"She's not my girlfriend" Jasper muttered "But that doesn't mean she's not with me, so get away. And you, come with me"  
That said, she took Lapis by the injured hand and forced her to get up. Lapis let out a cry of pain. She couldn't even move that hand without pain, much less being touched.  
"Let me go! You can't do this!" Lapis exclaimed, trying to let go, which only caused her more pain.  
"Oh, can't I?"  
"Let me go, idiot!"  
So, between cries and shoves, Jasper pulled her out of the cafeteria, with all eyes on them. Great, just what she needed. One more humiliation.  
"Why did you do that?!" Lapis exclaimed, on the verge of tears. They were already in the hallway, and she pressed her injured hand to her chest, trying to ignore the shooting pain.  
"What were you doing with her? You know I don't like you talking to other girls" Jasper said  
"Is that a damn joke? I can do whatever I want! "  
"Not if I say no. You're my girl "  
"I'm not your girl! Fuck you! "  
Lapis wiped a tear that ran down her cheek. She was so angry...  
"It's okay" Jasper said "I'm sorry, babe"  
"Shut the fuck up"  
"I'm trying to apologize! I just don't want you to talk to other girls, is it too much to ask?"  
"You can't control what I do!"  
"You're right. I'm sorry. It's okay?"  
"No! Just leave me alone!"  
"Why do you have to do everything so complicated? You like me to beg you, right? It's okay, I like that"  
"Forget it, I don't want anything to do with you anymore!"  
"Oh, c'mon, we've been through this already. You know you'll come back "  
"No, not anymore! This is stupid, we can't even be a day without fighting. This is not healthy for anyone. Just leave me alone. I'm serious"  
"Ah, so you're serious, little bitch"  
"Fuck you!"  
"Hey!" Agate exclaimed, approaching from the other side of the hallway "What are all those screams? Do you want me to make a report? "  
"It's okay" Jasper said, walking away from Lapis  
"Well, then get out of here. You over there, and you over the other side. If I see you two together again you go to detention"  
Lapis turned around and left with a quick step. She'd never been so happy to see Agate.

* * *

That night, Lapis didn't really want to go to the bar. However, it was Friday night, and it was really important for the band to play that day, which was the busiest at the bar. She only did it so as not to disapoint the boys, but actually she had many more reasons to have missed.  
First, the pain in her hand was killing her. Maybe Jasper had hurt her even more than she already was. Maybe she should go to hospital.  
Second, her mother had insisted that she stay at home, or at least come back early. But of course, Lapis had that need to disobey, and after muttering a _'Yes mommy'_ came out, knowing that she'd just lied. Hey, if her mother didn't care about her, why should she pay attention to her?  
Third and the most important, she didn't want to see Jasper. She hoped the girl had got the message that she didn't want to be with her anymore. It wasn't the first time she told her, but she had never spoken so seriously. It was time to put an end to that, she was never going to forgive her for what she had done that morning. Especially 'cause she had decided to humiliate her in front of the whole school, and the gems...  
"Hey, you were really good today" the bassist said, offering her a beer  
"Thanks Chris" Lapis said, taking the bottle.  
"Is something wrong?" the boy asked, sitting next to her  
"A lot of shit happened to me today. I don't know how I didn't ruin everything while we played"  
"Hey, fury and heavy metal go hand in hand. Do you need help or something?"  
"No, I think it's something I have to solve alone. Do you know something, Chris? I don't know if I can keep doing this"  
"What do you mean?"  
"The band. I think it's too much commitment, and I think at some point I'll fail you"  
"Well, I'd like to tell you not to leave us... But if you're studying, I think you should focus on that, right? You don't wanna end up like us"  
Lapis chuckled. Chris was 23, and the other three members of the band, his brothers, were 25, 27 and 28. Lapis was for them as their sister of 18.  
"Well, whatever you decide is okay for us" Chris said. "But it would be great if you stayed... or came to visit us from time to time"  
"I'll think about it. I wouldn't like to leave you alone like this either, but... "  
Lapis stopped when she saw Jasper approaching. Oh no, not again, damn it.  
"What?" the boy asked  
No, Japer didn't come. From where she was, she motioned for Lapis to come closer. Oh shit, it hadn't been clear to her that she didn't want to see her?  
"I'll be right back" Lapis said, drinking from the beer and standing up.  
"Sure"  
Lapis advanced among the people. It was time to end that once and for all. Seeing her approach, Jasper also advanced, but not towards her, but towards the door that led to the alley. Well, so she wanted to talk ...  
Lapis left the place to the dark alley. Jasper was leaning against the opposite wall.  
"What do you want?" Lapis asked "I told you this is over"  
"Oh, were you serious?"  
"Didn't you think I was serious? I don't wanna see you anymore. This is awful"  
"You know that's not true. You know that without me you're absolutely nothing"  
Lapis stared at her. Jasper smiled. Even at that moment, she looked beautiful. Beautiful and very dangerous.  
"You need me to feel that you've control over something. And you like to know that I've control over you "  
"It's not true" Lapis said "I hate you"  
"I hate you too. But that doesn't prevent us from being together"  
Lapis didn't know at what moment Jasper approached her, but suddenly they were already facing each other. A cold sweat ran down her back.  
"You need me" Jasper repeated, cornering her against the wall  
"No. No, it's not true"  
"Who else do you have? What are you gonna do without me? Do you think my cousin and her stupid little friends are gonna accept you again after what you did? Do you think Aquamarine and Topaz are your friends? You have no one to love you, Lapis. You only have me"  
She was right. She didn't have anything She was a shitty person, she wasn't going to have anyone else in her life more than Jasper, 'cause she was as bad as she was. The people who didn't deserve anything should be together...  
"No" Lapis said, responding to her thoughts more than to Jasper "I don't care... I'd rather be alone than another minute with you"  
"Oh, c'mon baby, you're just going through a bad time. You're bored. And I think I know why"  
Jasper crushed her even more against the wall. They were so close that Lapis felt her breath on her face. No, shit, no...  
"I never thought that asexuality thing was real. You know, especially if we're two girls. Maybe you just need..."  
"No!"  
Lapis hit her in the stomach and tried to flee, but Jasper made her fall and stepped on her ankle. Lapis cried out in pain. The noise inside the bar was so loud that no one would hear her.  
Jasper threw herself on her and immobilized her hands. Lapis started crying. No, she wasn't going to let it happen. She tried to kick her. But c'mon, Lapis was very small and thin compared to Jasper.  
"Yes, you like to do everything so complicated" Jasper said. "Do you wanna calm down? It's not as bad as you think. It's not like I'm a man or..."  
"LET ME GO!"  
Jasper released Lapis' injured hand. She tried to hit her with that hand, but the truth was that it hurt too much to really hurt her. She tried to pull her hair, but Jasper didn't seem to mind, as if Lapis was just an annoying fly.  
She was in tears, her ankle hurt a lot, and she felt Jasper's hand slip under her pants.  
But before anything bad happened, she felt her fingers touch a hard object. Without thinking, she took it and used it to hit Jasper in the face.  
She heard a howl of pain, but didn't stop to see what she'd done. She stood up and ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She ran for several blocks until she reached another alley, and hid among the trash cans.  
She knew that Jasper probably hadn't chased her, but she still hidden, hugging her knees, trembling and crying silently. She'd done it, she'd escaped just in time. She hadn't let it happen. But what the hell had she done?  
It was then that she realized that she still had the object in her hand. It was a piece of brick. And it was bloodstained. She thrown it quickly, as if it had suddenly heated up. The bandage on her hand was also bloodstained. Oh shit... But Jasper would be fine, right? She hadn't done anything serious, right?  
What a fucking night. She pulled up her pants to see her ankle. It was a bit swollen, but it sure wasn't serious, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to run. Suddenly, her whole body ached, and she noticed that the bruises on her forearms began to appear. At least everything was over after this. She didn't want to know anything about Jasper or about that place.  
What the fuck have she been doing? Had she changed her friends for that? For an attempted rape in an alley? Had she been acting like a complete idiot just to be with someone who made her feel miserable? What the hell had she been doing with her life?  
She used to had everything. Good friends, everyone at school loved her for being a swimming hero, her mother and her aunt loved her. And she'd turned her back on everyone.  
She couldn't continue like this, she had to change. She had to fix up everything she had destroyed. And she had to do it soon, 'cause each time she felt more desperate. She felt so disgusted with herself that she regretted being alive. She had only caused pain to others.  
It was obvious that Jasper hadn't chased her, but Lapis didn't move from there, and cried until she couldn't do it anymore.

* * *

The return home had been hard. She'd lost her money in the confrontation with Jasper, so she had to walk. And since the adrenaline was gone, now she could feel the shooting pain in her ankle with every step she took, so she walked very slowly and doing pauses  
It was almost 2 in the morning, that's why Lapis was surprised to see the lights inside her house lit. And aunt Bianca's mini van parked outside. Lapis felt a shudder. Had something bad happened? Oh, damn, she was never going to forgive herself if something bad had happened.  
She took out her keys and opened the dor, trying not to make noise. She entered, walking in silence, but saw nothing unusual. There was nobody in the living room. She continued walking and reached the dining room. Then she saw something.  
The dirty dishes were still on the table. There was a small cake from which they'd taken a couple of slices, and a blue balloon tied to a chair.  
No, shit, no. If Lapis felt bad before, now she felt like a big piece of trash. She was very, very angry with herself. And she understood why her mother had asked her to stay home that night.  
It was Sky's 18th birthday. Oh damn, how could she forget her sister's birthday? Each year, her mother and she made a small "party" in Sky's honor. It was something they always did together. Far from being sad, Lapis enjoyed listening to her mother talking about what Sky was like, 'cause that's how she felt that she knew her more. Sure Sky would never have done the same stupid things that Lapis did.  
She walked quietly through the house, trying to find her mother, but she didn't know what she was going to say. She didn't have time to think, 'cause then she heard some sobs coming from her mother's room. Lapis approached in silence, and peered through the open door, barely enough to see her mother and aunt sitting on the bed. Azura was crying, and Bianca was holding her by the shoulders, trying to comfort her.  
"I swear I don't know what to do with her anymore, Bi. I'm so worried, but she doesn't wanna tell me what's her problem. I don't know what to do to help her"  
Lapis felt like a fool. She was ruining not only her life...  
"I don't even know what to tell you" Bianca said. "I don't know what happens either. She wasn't like that before..."  
"It's since I arrived, right? I don't know what I did wrong, at first she wasn't different... I swear she's not bad, Bi. I know my girl, something's happening to her, but she's not like that, although Xanthe doesn't believe me. I think that moving was a mistake, I distanced her from her friends and from the life she already knew"  
"Is not that. She was adapting quite well"  
"Then I don't know what happens. I don't wanna be so hard on her "  
"Sometimes it's good to be hard with your daughter. I didn't wanna suspend her, but she didn't leave me another option. Xanthe wouldn't have been so benevolent"  
"Xanthe doesn't like her, and I know she would love to tell me 'I told you'. She should support me now. It would really be very helpful. The psychologist who was attending Lapis told me that she wouldn't take rejection. It's common among adopted children "  
"I really think it has to do with something other than Xanthe's rejection"  
"But you know her, right? You know Xanthe's wrong. Lapis is a good girl, she's just confused. "  
Lapis tried to calm down and went back to the front door. She opened it and closed it again, this time making the normal noise. Immediately, she heard rushing voices, and then her mother and aunt appeared in the living room. Her mother had watery eyes.  
"Mommy, are you okay?" Lapis asked, with a lump in her throat  
"What?" her mother said, scared "Are YOU okay?"  
Oh shit. For a moment she forgot how she should look. Her mother almost came running and pushed Lapis' hair away from her face, saying "Is this blood?"  
Lapis ran a hand over her face, and saw little blood threads in it. But it wasn't her blood.  
"What happened to you?" aunt Bianca asked, approaching  
"I was assaulted" Lapis lied.  
"What?! But you're fine, right?" her mother asked, very concerned  
"Yes, I think so. But my ankle…"  
"C'mere"  
Her mother led her to the couch and took off her shoe. Yes, her ankle was quite swollen.  
"We must take you to the hospital" aunt Bianca said  
"I don't think it's broken or something. It was just a blow" Lapis replied  
"I'll bring some ice" Azura said, and went to the kitchen  
Lapis winced and sank down on the back of the couch.  
"Where does all that blood come from?" her aunt asked  
"I think I broke the guy's nose" Lapis said  
"How much money did you lose?"  
"I don't know, about 50 bucks"  
"And your phone?"  
"I didn't carried it, it's in my room"  
At least that part was true. Lapis no longer took the cell phone so as not to call Peridot again under the influence of alcohol.  
"Well, the important thing is that you're fine" her aunt said, looking at the bruises on her arms.  
"Auntie... I'm sorry" Lapis suddenly let go  
"What?"  
"I'm sorry. For having been an idiot all this time. Really, I'm sorry. And I'm so sorry for how I behaved with you that day in your office. I'm so shamed..."  
Her aunt stared at her for a few seconds, then hugged her. Lapis also hugged her.  
"That _’sorry’_ was very different from the _’sorry’_ of that day" her aunt commented  
"What?"  
"There was something in your eyes that time... you really didn't regret. But now... It was different this time. Your eyes. You look like my favorite niece again"  
Lapis chuckled. She didn't deserve to be her favorite niece. That must be Peridot.  
"Here" her mother said, arriving with an ice bag. She put it on Lapis' ankle. She let out a cry of pain, but then she relaxed again.  
"Mommy?"  
"Yes, honey?"  
"I'm sorry"  
Azura looked at her older sister, who shrugged. Then she looked at Lapis and stroked her hair, saying "It's okay honey"  
"No, is not. I've been an idiot, but I don't want to be like that anymore. I'm sorry, mommy. I feel really bad for my behavior in past weeks"  
"It's enough. It's okay. I appreciate you telling me, but now I don't want you to worry. You had enough for tonight. I love you, baby"  
"I love you too, mommy. I... I wanna make up for everything I've done. I'm gonna do it, I promise"  
"Surely you will"  
Lapis didn't insist more, but it wasn't all she wanted to say. She hadn't apologized enough to her mother and aunt. Especially considering all the bad things she did. But for now that was okay.  
If her mom wanted to know what had happened, she was going to tell her. She was going to tell her everything, absolutely everything. But she wanted to wait until tomorrow. She really didn't want her aunt to know the entire story. And anyway, it was going to be a very long talk, and suddenly she felt very tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year, guys!  
> If you liked the chapter write a comment, I would appreciate it very much! Thanks for reading :3


	26. In The Chair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's no better time to think than while you get a haircut. Especially if it's a breakup haircut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for rea time  
>  _This is for flashbacks_

"Who's next?"

Lapis raised her hand naively and stood up. She took off her hoodie and left it on the chair she'd been sitting on. As always, she felt out of place. There, for example, she was surrounded by women in their 40s or older. An 18-year-old girl with blue hair, piercings and bruised arms was definitely out of place.

Lapis sat on the chair, and the lady started to cape her up. She smiled kindly through the mirror and asked "Hi! What will it be today, girl?"

"I'd like a haircut, please" Lapis replied, seeing her reflection in the mirror. Damn, she really needed to fix that disaster.

"Do you have something in mind?" the hairdresser asked, brushing Lapis' hair to untangle it

"Not really"

"Well, we'll see what to do. What's your name, sweetie?"

"Lapis Lazuli"

"Lazuli? Oh, you're Miss Bianca's niece!"

"Yes"

"That's why you seemed familiar to me! You look a lot like her. Your aunt talks a lot about you. She adores you"

Lapis smiled. It wasn't the first time someone told her that she looked like one of the Diamonds, so surely the woman didn't say it just to say it. And it's that of the many hair salons in the city, Lapis had gone to the one where her aunt always sent her when she told her to cut her hair, since she knew no other.

"So, any ideas?" the lady asked, when she finished untangling the girl's hair

"I don't know I just want it quite short"

"Quite short? Let's see... Do you want a buzz cut?"

"No, no! Ok, maybe not so short"

"What about a bob cut?"

"Maybe... But it's the cut that I had recently and I would like to vary. It shows that I did it myself, right?"

"To do it by yourself is very good. Well, except for this part, here" she said, running her fingers through the part where Aquamarine had cut it.

"I didn't do that, it was a bad joke... But I guess that may be the reference" she added, thinking that that lock should measure about two inches. It wasn't bad.

"Oh, did you watch _It_? You know, the new one, not the 90's one. What about that little girl's haircut? It's short, but not so much, and it gonna look very well with your kind of hair"

Lapis tried to imagine herself with Bev Marsh's hairstyle. In fact it would not be so bad, since her hair wasn't straight, but it wasn't curly either. It was that terrible hybrid between the two that made it always messy. That pixie cut style would be fine.

"That's okay" Lapis said at last, with a nervous smile

"Fine, let's do this"

The woman began to wet Lapis' hair with a water sprayer. She began to feel a little anxious. Her hair was already under her shoulders, that would be a drastic change. But it was just what she needed now. Not that she would like to cut her hair very much. She had a certain aversion, since in the orphanage they were something like a punishment. Or at least they managed to make it unpleasant. That's why Lapis couldn't help feeling anxious when facing a hairdresser. And much less surrounded by so many mirrors.

When everything was ready and the woman approached the scissors to make the first cut, Lapis couldn't avoid closing her eyes. The lady giggled and said "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Lapis replied, a little embarrassed of her reaction "It's just that I'm a little nervous, it's my first time cutting my hair so short.Is it okay if I turn my back on the mirror?"

"Of course, sweetie"

The woman turned the chair so that Lapis couldn't see her reflection. Maybe it didn't help much that now she was facing the clients that were waiting.

Then she heard the sound of the scissors next to her ear.

  

* * *

 

_Lapis woke up early that day. At least, earlier than usual on weekends. She felt a little nervous, but she was determined to tell her mother the truth. It was the least she owed her._

_Her whole body was still aching, and now her hand and ankle were bandaged, but despite that she felt good, much better than any other day._

_She went to brush her teeth and wash her face. Seeing her reflection, she felt there was something different. Nothing visible, but she was sure there was something. For now, she decided that after talking to her mother she was going to get a haircut. She had her hair so mistreated that she was going to have to get it really short._

_She went out of her room still in her pajamas and went to her mother's room, limping a bit. She knocked on the door, hoping not to wake her up. But no, she heard a "come in, honey"._

_She opened the door and saw her mother still in bed, with her glasses on and a book in her hands._

_"Good morning, mommy" she said, entering_

_"Morning, baby" she replied, leaving the book and her glasses on the bedside table "I hadn't seen you awake so early since the last Christmas on Saturday"_

_Lapis laughed and got into bed, kissing her mother on the cheek. She hugged her very tightly._

_"How's your ankle?" her mother asked, stroking her hair_

_"It doesn't hurt that much anymore" she replied_

_"Are you sure I shouldn't take you to the hospital?"_

_"I'm sure, mommy... Hey... can we talk, please?"_

_Her mother stared at her a few moments before saying "Of course, honey"_

_"First of all, I want to apologize for not being here yesterday for Sky's birthday."_

_"Oh, honey..."_

_"No, that was awful. I feel really bad"_

_"It's okay Lapis, don't worry"_

_"It's just... I should've been here, and I'm so sorry"_

_"It's enough. Let's forget about that, okay?"_

_Lapis nodded. She wanted to repent and keep her secret. But she couldn't, she knew she wasn't going to feel calm until she got everything out._

_"I wanted to tell you why I was such an idiot all of a sudden. Just... Don't be mad at me. I didn't have bad intentiotns"_

_"Don't worry honey. Tell me what happened"_

_"Okay... It all started my first day at school, when I turned a corner and a girl hit me..."_

 

* * *

 

  

Lapis was beginning to feel a breeze all over the right side of her head, which felt pretty weird. She just listened to the _snip snip_ of the scissors against her hair, and saw locks of blue hair fall down to her lap. They were longer than she expected, and she began to feel a little more anxious. Especially because a couple of old women didn't stop looking at her.

She had done it, she had told everything to her mother. She had been completely honest. She didn't hide anything. She even talked about the time she spent the night at Peri's house. And she couldn't deny that she felt much better after talking about it.

She was totally determined to change everything, to be the same as before. Or someone much better. There were things that she should stop doing. For example, on the way to the hair salon she called Chris to tell him that she was sorry, but she wasn't going to continue in the band. He didn't blame her, he wish her luck. Lapis was going to miss him, but it was the best. Also, she was never going to go back to that bar again.

"Your hair is really nice now that we removed the mistreated part" the hairdresser commented, while cutting another lock of hair "It's a nice shade of brown"

"Yeah" Lapis answered absentmindedly, for when she saw the recently cut lock, she realized that surely there wouldn't be blue anymore. That was another big change. But she was fine. It was time for changes.

 

* * *

 

_"...and she told me she hated me and didn't wanna see me again, so I left" Lapis finished. "We haven't spoken since then. Well, except a few days ago. I called to say I missed her, but I don't think I was taken seriously, the truth is that I was drunk"_

_She had spoken for almost an hour, 'cause she didn't omit any details. She had never related something so honestly. She had cried a lot in some places, but she didn't stop. And her mother didn't interrupt her, except for an occasional question._

_"Wow, Lapis..." her mother murmured_

_"Are you angry?" Lapis asked_

_"No, of course not. You didn't do anything wrong, you were in love, and that's not bad, but..."_

_"But I was in love Peridot"_

_Lapis wiped her tears with her hand. Her mother didn't look at her. She seemed to be meditating._

_"I didn't wanna hurt her" Lapis said "If I had known this, I wouldn't even have tried"_

_"Does any of your aunts know this?"_

_"No! No, I never said anything"_

_"Oh Lapis... I don't know what to tell you..."_

_"Are you sure you're not angry?"_

_"I promise you I'm not angry. You couldn't help falling in love. Nobody can. But tell me something... Did you really love her?"_

_"I would've given anything to see her happy. Say that I loved her is little, mommy"_

_"But now tou know it can't be..."_

_"I know, that's why I was so upset with everyone. That's why I did all those horrible things, and I thought I was okay with Jasper, but no. She just made me believe that she was helping. Yes, I know it can't be. She doesn't even talk to me 'cause I lied to her, but what I felt for her was real"_

_"Don't you feel anything for her anymore?"_

_"No. Well... I wish it... It's not that easy, I wanna forget about her, but... Woah, I never really felt something like that. I mean, I liked her from the first day, I fell in love and I I asked her to be my girlfriend. Everything was very fast 'cause I was sure of what I felt, and I know that she felt the same for me"_

_"Lapis..."_

_"No, you don't have to say it. I know it's wrong. I don't intend to come back with her. A few days ago I wanted to, but I'm already determined to leave this behind, but I had to tell you first"_

_"I appreciate you doing it. Good thing Xanthe didn't realize!"_

_"Oh yeah, she probably would have killed us both. And talking about aunt Xanthe, I have to ask you a favor"_

_"Tell me"_

_"I really care about Peri. I defended her as much as I could, but I couldn't defend her from what hurt her the most"_

_"And what would that be?"_

_"Aunt Xanthe is very bad with her"_

_"What are you saying? Hey, I know Xanthe can be a little strict, but..."_

_"No mommy, you don't understand. Aunt Xanthe shouts at her, punishes her for no reason, I think she even hit her..."_

_"Lapis, please, you're talking about my sister"_

_"I know, and I'm sorry, but you're the only one who can do something. Talk to her, but be careful, if she finds out she's gonna do something to Peri"_

_"Peri told you that she suffered abuse from her mother?"_

_"And from her sister, yes. I think... I think they treat her badly for... You know"_

_Azura covered her mouth with one hand and looked at Lapis for a few seconds. Then, she comment in a slow voice "Xanthe had a hard time accepting that Peri was different..."_

_"Well, I think she never did it. Peri told me that sometimes her mother spoke to her as if she doubted she understood, or she talked about her as if she weren't present"_

_"Did Peri ever tell you directly that her mother mistreated her?"_

_"Not really, if I asked a lot of questions, she would get nervous and say again and again that her mother was good. That's more meaningful, don't you think?"_

_"I can't believe it, I swear I can't. That girl is the purest person in the world, she can't be suffering abuse!"_

_"That's why you have to do something, mommy. I couldn't keep the secret. Peri needs us, but don't say that I told you, or it will seem suspicious to aunt Xanthe"_

_"I'm going to do everything I can. Xanthe isn't easy to convince"_

_"Anything would work, maybe if you tell aunt Bianca..."_

_"Well, I promise you that I'll change Xanthe's attitude, but you must promise not try to come back with Peri"_

_"I promise"_

_Her mother sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, saying "I'm sorry honey, but it's the best. I know it must be hard"_

_"Ah, it was terribly hard" Lapis said "First I refused to accept it, and I looked for a thousand ways to come back, but I didn't find any. Then I had problems with everyone, I said horrible things to Pearl... And then finally I accepted that I lost Peridot, and I felt really bad. I just wanted to... disappear"_

_"Do you mean...?"_

_"I thought about it, there were days when I woke up and I had to... facing reality. I wanted to end it, but I couldn't, I did'nt dare, thank heaven."_

_"Oh my god..."_

_"It was terrible to try to forget such special and happy moments, to believe that I'd done it, and then to see myself in the mirror and remember why I have this" she pointed to the thin scar under her eye "And I felt like garbage. I disappointed everyone, and I kept doing it. And then I thought you can't expect someone like me to do something good!" she giggled and a tear ran down her cheek "That I had always been destined to fail! I mean, I've been a failure since I was born and my parents didn't want me"_

_Lapis burst into tears again. Oh shit, that last sentence had been stuck in her throat for a long time. She covered her face with her hands. Her mother hugged her very tightly. It was the first time the girl had mentioned her parents in front of her._

_"It's funny that you say that" her mother said, with a very sweet voice "Because I saw just the opposite. From the first time I saw you, I knew you were going to be very important. You're so special. You're a Diamond. My daughter. And about your parents... Well, it's a pity that they don't know that you became a very beautiful and intelligent girl that fills her mother with pride"_

_"Surely Sky would never have done as many idiocies as I did" Lapis said_

_"I've always believed that you and Sky would be very close, so probably you two would be grounded now"_

_Lapis giggled, hid her face in her mother's shoulder and said "I don't wanna disappoint you again, I'm not going to fail again, I swear"_

_"We all make mistakes from time to time, and if you stumble, I'll help you get up, it's what mothers do"_

_"You are the best mom in the world"_

_"And you the best daughter"_

_"I wanna be able to be. Thank you for listening and for understanding... I have many things to fix, I was very rude to the people that I care about..."_

_"I'm sure you'll know what to do, honey. Everything can be fixed"_

_Lapis smiled as she wiped away her tears. For the first time since a long time, she felt completely calm. “Well, I think I should go to fix my hair first” she said_

* * *

 

 

Oh yeah. That's how she ended up sitting in that chair. It had been a while, and now Lapis felt that cold breeze in her ears and neck, and felt her head a little lighter. The hairdresser had just cut off her bangs, and the strands just slipped to her lap. Then she combed it. Her bangs was still long enough to cover her eyes, but come on, a few seconds before, she could even bite it.

"I'm almost done" the woman said, while combing all the girl's hair "I'm just gonna make some final adjustments"

Lapis heard a few _snip snips_ near her ears, and felt the cold metal on the skin as the woman shaped the hair of her neck. Finally, she said "You're ready"

She took the back of the chair and turned it over, and Lapis could finally see herself in the mirror. She really had Bev Marsh hair. Her hair covered half of her ears and her bangs was a little longer than the rest of her hair. It really was noticeable the absence of those two longer locks that framed her face.

"What do you think?" the woman asked

Lapis ran both hands through her hair, feeling the softness and that strange feeling of having her hair so short. She felt that her fingers were just touching a little hair and suddenly there was no more. She blushed a little thinking about what everyone would say.

"It feels super weird" she said, with a nervous giggle, running her fingers down the back of her neck, where her hair was especially short

"I think you look beautiful"

"Thanks. I really like it"

It was true. After the initial surprise and even though she still didn't get used to the feeling of the air blowing through her new hair, she liked the haircut. She felt renewed.

The only thing weirder that the feeling was seeing the color. As she planned, almost all the blue went. Her shorty and fluffy hair was brown. Except for a few tips at the top, where there was still some blue, which showed Lapis' irregularity when dyeing and cutting it herself.

"Do you want to dye it?" the hairdresser asked, running her fingers through the girl's hair

"Yes, please" Lapis replied

"New shades of blue have just arrived, do you want to see them?"

Lapis remembered that night in Peridot's room. She remembered her warmth and adorable smile when Lapis asked what her favorite color was. The blonde had run her fingers through Lapis' hair and her response had been _"Now it's blue"_

"No, I just want to fix these" Lapis said, determined, pointing to one of the blue spots "I wanna keep my natural brown"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget, guys: Your comments are my inspiration.  
> If you like this, leave a coment please :'3 I would appreciate it very much!


	27. She Loves You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _She said you hurt her so_   
>  _She almost lost her mind_   
>  _And now she says she knows_   
>  _You're not the hurting kind_   
>  _She says she loves you_   
>  _And you know that can't be bad_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stop! My dear Lapidot shippers, don't be mad at me xD Everything's part of my plan :3

She didn't even realize that it had started to rain. But it wasn't a gentle rain. On the contrary, the almost black sky unleashed a furious storm, with an icy wind that made her tremble.  
What a way to start her new life. Lapis was soaking wet, obviously her hoodie didn't help much to protect her from the water. She wish she had already learned to drive, so she probably would have taken the jeep and not had to wait so long for the bus. Although on the other hand, it's good that she didn't know how to drive. Maybe she would have taken the jeep on one of her rock 'n' roll nights and would have done something stupid.  
At least now she realized. There was much she had realized, and she had a lot to fix. The first thing had been with her mother, but now she had to take care of another very important issue.  
She knocked on the door for the thousandth time. Damn, the lights were on, why did they take so long? She was trembing with cold. If she stayed a minute longer in the rain, she would die frozen. Besides, she'd had to walk a few blocks, and her ankle hurts a lot. But finally, the door opened.  
"Hey" she said, seeing the girl  
"Lapis? What the hell are you doing?" Pearl asked, disappointed "I'm not in the mood to argue" she added, trying to close the door  
"Great" Lapis said, holding the door with her hand "Because I'm not here to argue"  
Pearl stared at her for a moment. Lapis raised her eyebrows and said "Are you gonna let me in or what? I can't stay in the rain forever!"  
"I thought you liked the water" Pearl commented, stepping aside to let her in  
"Not when it falls from the sky and is almost frozen"  
Lapis looked around as Pearl closed the door. The house was small, but cozy and warm.  
"What do you want?" Pearl said, crossing arms  
"I just wanna talk" Lapis replied, taking off her hood  
Pearl stared at her for a moment. Lapis smiled "What?"  
"Your hair..."  
"Oh, yeah..." she said, blushing a little and running her hand over her head "It was so mistreated that I though I had to get a buzzcut, but they saved it"  
Pearl cleared her throat and said "Well, what do you want to talk about?"  
"I'm sorry"  
Pearl raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath, then said "I'm not in the mood for jokes."  
"It's not a joke!"  
"Hey, are you drunk or something?"  
"No. Why don't you believe me?"  
"I thought we weren't friends anymore, remember? You told me"  
"I said a lot of things that I'm not proud of, but yes, that's one of the worst. All I want now is for you to know that I'm really sorry, not just for saying that, but for all the bad things that I did to you. You just wanted to help me and I... I was an idiot"  
"And now you want me to talk to you again just... like that?"  
"I pretend to apologize. If you don't wanna talk to me again, I understand, I deserve it, but it would be great if... If we could be friends again"  
"It's just that... You can't come, say you're sorry and done! All is happy and beautiful again! Your actions have consequences"  
"I know, don't think I don't realize"  
"Well you did 't notice for a long time"  
"I hit rock bottom yesterday. I had a shitty night that made me think I was becoming a horrible person, so I decided to change. And you're important to me, that's why I wanted to come and talk. I know I did a lot of terrible things to you, and what I told you that day in the hall... "  
"Yeah"  
"I understand you, if I were you I wouldn't easily forgive myself. That's why I wanted to start from now on, if I have to apologize a million times, I'll do it.  
Pearl crossed arms. Lapis looked at her, pleading. She didn't want to cry, but she felt the crying going up her throat.  
"Fine" Pearl said in the end, breaking eye contact "I forgive you, just because I don't wanna hear the other nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand and nine hundred and ninety-nine apologies"  
"Thanks! You have no idea what it means to me. Are we okay?"  
"No Lapis, I don't think so. I forgive you, but... No"  
"Pearl, please ... I don't want us to be like strangers, it's horrible to go to school and that you pretend that I don't exist"  
"Isn't that what you were doing with me?"  
"Yeah... But I wanna change that, and I can't do it without some help"  
Pearl grimaced. She looked a little sad. She looked away while she asked "Are you still dating Jasper?"  
"No, never again" Lapis replied, in a whisper  
"I thought so"  
Pearl looked at her again. She didn't look angry anymore. In fact, she was very serious. "You know what I think? I think you and Jasper broke up or something like that and that's why you come to me. You're alone, and that's why you suddenly want to apologize"  
"No, it's not that! Okay, the thing with Jasper is over, but it's not like I'm afraid to be alone or a shit like that. I came here 'cause I miss you"  
"And why now? Why not before?"  
" 'Cause Jasper wouldn't let me. Ok, ok I get it... I don't blame her, I'm the idiot who believed in all what she said. I thought I was fine with her, but it wasn't like that. And... and I walked away from you"  
"Actually I think it would be better for you to be alone for a while"  
"I don't want that, I really don't know what to do to make up for what I did to you and what I told you. It was awful, and I understand if you hate me"  
"I don't hate you, I told you I forgive you"  
"Yes, but still... You're right, an _'I'm sorry'_ is not enough"  
"If you really wanna compensate me, do what you wanna do: be yourself again and not that jerk of the last weeks. I just want you to be alright, and you don't need me for that"  
"No. But I wanna have you around"  
Pearl sighed, ran her hand over her face and replied "I guess we can try"  
Lapis smiled and wiped a tear that ran down her cheek, saying "Thank you"  
Pearl shrugged and smiled a little. Lapis winced and said "Can I sit down? My ankle is killing me"  
"Sure"  
Lapis sat on the old sofa and lifted her left foot slightly off the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief. The cold made her ankle hurt a lot more.  
"What happened to you?" Pearl asked, sitting next to her "Was it part of your shitty night?"  
"Yes, but I don't wanna talk about that now. But since we're friends again, I'll tell you later"  
Pearl smiled and shook her head. Lapis cleared her throat and said "Can I ask you something?"  
"I guess so"  
"Well... Do you remember what I said to you that day in the hall?"  
"Oh no, there you go again..."  
"That's right... Is that true?"  
"What?"  
"Do you like me?"  
Pearl got serious and rolled her eyes before saying "You just got me to talk to you again, don't ruin it"  
"This is serious, do you like me?"  
The pale girl looked at the floor with a frown and said "I liked you... before"  
"Why not anymore?" Lapis asked  
" 'Cause you are unpredictable, and... you hurt people"  
"But I can change"  
Lapis felt her heart racing. Pearl looked at her with a frown and asked "What are you trying to do?"  
"I have no idea" Lapis replied  
"Oh, no! Forget it!"  
"What?"  
"Now that you don't have Peridot or Jasper, will you notice me? Well, fuck you"  
"No! No, I don't mean that... I just... I like you! I said it!"  
"You like me? Since when? This morning?"  
"From the day you got on the bus and said 'Hi, my name's Pearl' "  
"Seriously Lapis, fuck you"  
"Look, I liked you, but then I meet Peri and..."  
"That's the worst flirt phrase I've ever heard in my life"  
"What I wanna say is that I should stay with you"  
"Am I supposed to be flattered?"  
"Just... Ok, ok, forget it, let's start again"  
Lapis cleared her throat and looked at Pearl, who seemed ready to kill her.  
"Pearl, I like you from the first time I saw you, but since I'm an idiot I didn't accept it then. I knew that you liked me but I never gave you signs to not get excited and hurt you. I'm so sorry. I still like you. Do you still like me?"  
"Listen, I... I don't wanna be someone's second choice again"  
"You're not, you're my first choice. Actually you're the only one..."  
"I just mean you're telling me this since you saw that Jasper wasn't what you thought and that the Peridot thing can't be fixed. You really need some time being single"  
"I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend. But let me try to court you"  
"Forget it, Lapis. Besides, you're terrible flirting"  
"I know" Lapis said  
What was she doing? No, it wasn't a lie and she knew it. She likes Pearl, a lot, but it was bullshit to have said that now. It just seemed like she was desperate for some love. Well, maybe after a while, if she showed her she wasn't lying...  
"I guess I should go" Lapis said "Thanks for everything, and I'm so sorry"  
"Are you kidding? The sky is falling out there" Pearl exclaimed, with mother's voice "You can stay a little longer... If you want"  
"I'll love to"  
Pearl smiled a little, cleared her throat and said, again with the mother's voice "Take off your hoodie, it's soaked. You're gonna get sick or something"  
Lapis obeyed. Her shirt was also slightly damp, but she could handle that. She ran her hands through her hair, and several drops of water fell on her legs. Then she shuddered as she felt Pearl's fingers stroking her hair, touching her scalp.  
"You look..."  
"Like a boy?" Lapis interrupted "I know, the bus driver said to me 'Don't forget to give the seat to the women, buddy. Maybe a pretty one will give you her phone number' "  
"And you got the number of a pretty girl?"  
"No, but I think one took me a picture thinking I wouldn't notice. I think short hair and no boobs can help me to seduce the straight ones"  
"It's an interesting story, but what I was gonna say is that you look beautiful"  
Lapis blushed. Oh, fuck everything. She approached and stole her a quick kiss on the lips. Pearl's eyes widened. Lapis looked at the floor, flushed. She cleared her throat and said "I'm sorry"  
"I hate you" Pearl replied  
Lapis opened her mouth to say that she's gonna leave, but Pearl kissed her. This time it wasn't fast. They made it slow and sweet.  
"You just said you hated me!" Lapis exclaimed, very flushed  
"Yep" Pearl replied, running both hands through Lapis' hair "But you're poison running through my veins"  
"I didn't know you liked Alice Cooper"  
"There's a lot you don't know about me"  
"Then show me"  
Lapis kissed her again. Suddenly, she stopped feeling the pain and the cold.

* * *

"I have another" Lapis said "Ready? _'I don't wanna kiss or hold your hand... If it's funny try and understand... There is really nothing else I'd rather do'_ umm... _' I've discovered I'm in love with you'_ "  
"The Beatles" Pearl said "And that last part doesn't go in that verse"  
"I know, I just wanted it to go with this moment"  
Pearl smiled and kissed her on the cheek.  
It turned out that Greg wasn't home. He had gone out to play with his band. Normally Pearl and Steven accompanied him, but Steven was sick and that was why Pearl had stayed to take care of him. But since the little kid was asleep, there was nothing to worry about.  
After the first kiss, the rest was very easy. Neither of them could believe that a few hours before they didn't even talk to each other. Now they were both in Pearl's bed, in their underwear, hugging each other. How they had ended up there was something they couldn't explain. Well, maybe they could, but not how they got rid of most of their clothes. But in fact, they weren't even doing anything. Lapis was holding Pearl, her head resting on her chest, and they were just talking. Once in a while they kissed, but nothing more. Strange, really strange for a couple of friends who had just reconciled.  
"I don't know how I let you convince me" Pearl murmured, hugging Lapis harder.  
"I convinced you?" Lapis said "Who was the one who kissed me?"  
"You did it first"  
"You called me beautiful"  
Pearl babbled a couple of syllables, but couldn't answer anything. Lapis laughed and looked Pearl in the eye.  
"This is like one of those series where everything happens very fast" Lapis said "I mean, I just came to apologize and now I have a girlfriend"  
"Excuse me?" Pearl exclaimed "I don't remember marking 'yes' on your note"  
"Oh, right... Would you be my girlfriend?"  
"I'll think about it"  
Lapis leaned on her to see her face. Pearl hugged her with her legs and plunged her fingers into Lapis' hair.  
"I really love your new look" she commented "You look so adorable with your Beverly Marsh cosplay"  
"Very funny" Lapis said, closing her eyes as she felt the gentle massage on her head.  
"And I love your natural color. Blue was nice too, but brown is just beautiful. Are you gonna dye it again?"  
"I don't know. No. At least not in the near future" Lapis said "I wanna see myself as a 'normal' person, at least for now. Although on second thought, I'm sure people on school will laugh at me 'cause I look like a boy"  
"You don't look like a boy, but you're different. You cut your hair and you took off your piercings, and there's something different in your eyes. You'll certainly give much to talk about at school."  
"Oh, I can't imagine how that will be!"  
"At least this time I'll be with you"  
"Pearl, you're fantastic. I'm serious, you're wonderful. I'll never finish thanking you for giving me another chance"  
"What can I say? I don't understand why you are always so... inevitable for me. And I trust you"  
"I don't know why. I'm a horrible person"  
"No, you're not. Leaving aside the mistakes of these weeks, you're a very good person"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah! You're kind, considerate, fun, and you're very humble despite having a lot of money"  
"What does that have to do with anything?"  
"Well, you could be like Blaine, don't you think? Believe that you are better than the others 'cause you're rich"  
"Ugh, no. I don't think I can brag about money. I don't forget where I come from"  
"Listen to yourself, you're really a good girl"  
"I'll try to be. I don't wanna be an idiot anymore"  
"Actually, you've always been an idiot, but you can stop being an unpleasant idiot"  
"Wow, thanks"  
Lapis came over and kissed her. She really liked the taste of Pearl's lips. They were sweet like a strawberry.  
"Hey, P... I don't want you to think I'm using you or something" Lapis said, stroking Pearl's soft hair with her good hand "What I told you before is true... I've liked you for a long time, but I... Well, you know... I didn't wanna give you false hopes, but now you're not a replacement or something, I really love you for who you are, and for how you make me feel now that I have you with me"  
"I really appreciate you saying it, my little Diamond. I love you too, Lapis"  
"I promise not disappointing"  
"I know you won't. I'm very proud that you decided to be yourself again. I was very worried, and I know your mom was the same"  
"My mom! Oh damn, she must surely ask where I am!"  
"And what are you waiting for?"  
Lapis sat on the bed and took her cell phone from the table. It was 11 o'clock at night and she hadn't noticed. She called her mother, who responded almost immediately.  
"Lapis?" she said, sounding a little worried "Are you okay, honey?"  
"I'm fine, mommy" Lapis said, feeling a bit guilty "I lost track of time"  
"Where are you? The storm is too strong, I don't want you to be outside at this time and..."  
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Do you think you can give me permission to spend the night here? I promise I'm not doing anything wrong"  
"Where are you?"  
"You'll be happy to know"  
Lapis put on the speaker and looked at Pearl, encouraging her to speak. She cleared her throat and said "Hi, miss Diamond"  
"Pearl? Is that you?" Azura's voice asked  
"It's me"  
"Oh, then you've solved everything!"  
"That's right" Lapis said "We're friends again, I'm at Pearl's house"  
"I'm really glad to hear that! Of course you can stay there, if Pearl has no problem"  
"Of course not" Pearl replied "Don't worry, ma'am. I'll make sure that Lapis behaves well"  
"Thanks, honey. You know how to keep Lapis in control, could you give me a couple of tips?"  
"Mom!" Lapis exclaimed "Well, thanks for giving me permission, I promise to behave myself. I'll see you tomorrow"  
"Okay. Good night, my little cinnamon roll"  
"Mommy...! Argh... I love you"  
"And good night Pearl. Take care of Lapis"  
"I'll do it, ma'am" Pearl said "Night"  
Lapis hung up and put the phone on the table.  
"Come here, little cinnamon roll" Pearl said  
"Stop"  
Pearl laughed and hugged her very tightly, even though Lapis' skin was very cold from getting out of bed.  
"My mommy loves you" Lapis said "She thinks you're a good influence for me"  
"I guess I am" Pearl answered, rubbing Lapis' back with her hand to warm it "Lapis?"  
"Yes?"  
"Can I ask you a personal question?"  
"P, I'm almost naked, lying on you and in your bed, you can ask whatever you want"  
"Alright. How did you get that scar?"  
Lapis gave a nervous giggle and said "You know I've gotten myself into a lot of trouble. I have a lot of scars"  
"I think you know what I mean"  
Of course she knew it. Lapis had bruises, her ankle and hand were injured, a scar was under her left eye. But that wasn't all. If Pearl paid attention, she could see that Lapis' back was full of scars, but although they were long, they were very thin and almost invisible. And then, of course, there was the one Pearl was referring to. It was an irregular vertical line about two inches long, wide and it rises a little more than the surrounding skin. It was right between her shoulder blades, under the tattoo. Although it was no longer visible, it could be felt. And Pearl ran her fingers over it.  
"It's a long story" Lapis said  
"I think we have time" Pearl replied "It's just that I find it curious that your tattoo is right there, covering it, being that it isn't very visible anyway. Just out of curiosity"  
"Well, I'll tell you that story, but you must explain something to me first"  
"What?"  
"What did you mean when you said 'I don't wanna be someone's second choice AGAIN'?"  
"It's also a long story"  
"Well, mommy let me spend the night here, Steven is still asleep... We'll have time for both stories"  
"Okay. Get comfy, this will take some time"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna put Pearl's and Lapis' backstories in this chapter, but it was gonna be pretty long. So wait for them next week. In fact, it will definitely be a pretty looooooooong chapter xD  
> Thanks for reading and comment guys! Oh! And don't worry about Peri ;)


	28. These Are the Days of Our Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backstories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter :3  
> This is for present  
>  _This is for past_

Lapis cuddle with Pearl and took her hand under the blankets. Now, Lapis felt that she had more motivation. Pearl was accepting her again, she couldn't afford to fail her. She wasn't going to betray her trust again.

"Tell me something" Pearl said "You never asked yourself where my parents were?"

"Well, actually yes" Lapis responded "I just thought it was a very personal a question. I thought about waiting for you to tell me"

"Well, today's the day. You know, Lapis... not everyone has the same luck as you and Garnet"

"What do you mean?"

"To find a family"

"Wait... Did you live in an orphanage?"

"Yes. For many years, even more than you, but I'd a great friend with me..."

"Rose"

"Yep. Rose and I grew up together at the orphanage in the city. She was a great girl, everyone liked her, I think the only reason she wasn't adopted was because it was very rare that someone went to the orphanage with the intention of adopting. Okay, I don't know how things were where you lived, but in our home, they sent us to public schools outside of the orphanage. Rose became a friend of the whole world, but I didn't. I preferred to go unnoticed. Thanks to Rose, I became friends with Amethyst and Garnet. Yes, I know. We met in 7th grade, and since then we were the crystal gems"

"And since then you were in love with her?"

"Something like that. I suppose so, but I didn't know it. I always supported her in her crazy plans, she and I dreamed of the day when we would leave that place to know the real world. She said that we could even escape if there was no other way"

"And you did it?!"

"Of course not. When we turned 14, Rose convinced the director to let us out"

"She convinced...? What? No way! That's impossible!"

"I thought that, but she did. She told her that we were already old enough to get a job, that we could rent a small apartment and that we would still be in school and all that"

"No way! And it worked?"

"Totally. Rose wasn't lying, so they believed her and told her we could try. They were happy to get rid of us. I said it, people were rarely going to adopt, and the population was increasing. Two less mouths to feed

"That's super crazy!"

"I know, but it was real. She could convince you of anything, and you knew that she wasn't gonna fail you"

"Sounds like she was amazing"

"She was. You know, at that point she also felt something for me, she showed it more than once, until... "

Pearl stopped talking and blushed. Lapis didn't need to ask.

"I loved her very much, and I know that she loved me" Pearl said, after a pause

"But...?"

"But then she met Greg"

Lapis could see how Pearl had got a little uncomfortable. She even thought about telling her that she didn't have to continue if she didn't want to, but suddenly Pearl went on talking "It was at a concert on the beach. I can swear it was Greg's first concert, he played really bad, he sure just bought his guitar and he already felt like a rockstar. The truth is that I thought he was pathetic, but Rose used the word ' _adorable_ ' instead"

"And she left you for him?"

"I don't know if she left me. We didn't really have anything formal. I knew very well that there was something very strong between us. There was love, but she was never my girlfriend, do you understand?"

"I understand"

"And one day she appeared saying she was dating Greg"

Pearl had started crying. Lapis could see something in her face... She had the impression that it was the first time she told that story so thoroughly.

"Garnet and Amethyst were very happy for them, but well... I'm not proud to say it, but I hated Greg. I mean, who though that fool he was to suddenly appear and take Rose away?"

"It's totally understandable"

"Well, then I realized it wasn't  his fault. It was Rose who came to him, Rose fell in love with him, and I had to support her as I always had, but I felt betrayed"

"Did you ever tell her how you felt?"

"Of course, but she said that there were no problems, that she still loved me. Can you believe it? She tried to keep things the same! There were certain limits, of course, but it was like... She didn't understand why I felt bad. She felt that she had enough love for both of us"

Lapis said nothing. She didn't know what to think about Rose anymore. Everyone made her look like a wonderful girl and everything, but... Well, she seemed something... selfish. She didn't know how to express it, but... She'd played with Pearl's feelings! She had kept her by her side even as she dated Greg! Or at least that's what Lapis understood about the story.

"And then" Pearl continued, with a sad smile and wiping her tears "Then she came to our apartment and told me she was pregnant"

Lapis didn't know what to answer. What the hell could she say? An _'I'm sorry'_ was something stupid.

"And no, she wasn't worried or anything like that! She was HAPPY! I just couldn't figure it out. She was 16, we could barely keep the house, Greg was... Greg! I didn't understand why the hell she and Greg were happy!"

"I guess you loved the news"

"I was so angry that I didn't talk to her for weeks. The girls tried to make me see reason, but I couldn't forgive her so easily"

"And how did you fix things?"

"Rose forced me to listen to her. She told me that she was very sorry to have hurt me, but that she had only done what her heart had dictated"

Wow, Rose sounded more and more like a fucking Disney princess.

"And that I had to remembered that I was her best friend, that I was very important to her, and that it really hurt that we were fighting"

"And you forgive her"

"Had I another choice? She was very happy with the baby, I had no choice but to support her. I was soon left alone in the apartment, she moved here with Greg"

"Here?"

"Greg had run away from home at 14 to be a musician and lived in this house. It's from his uncle, who let him stay here with the condition that he continue studying. Actually Greg's parents don't care much about him since he left, it's his uncle who pays for everything, but since he lives on the other side of the country, he never visits him"

"Wow... So he and Rose lived here?"

"Yes, for several months, until..."

Pearl stopped to cry. Lapis said nothing. She didn't know what she could say. She just hugged her and let her cry. It must have been horrible. Spend your whole life with someone you love and suddenly that person leaves.

"I just couldn't accept that she wasn't around anymore. I've no idea how it was for others, I drowned in my sadness. I remember the girls and even Ruby and Sapphire visited me, but I don't remember what they said to me. I didn't care about anyone else, but I know that Garnet and Amethyst were also suffering, and Greg even more"

"And... what do we do here?"

"Well, several weeks went by, and the first thing I remember about those days was that the girls went to the apartment and asked me to go with them to see Steven. I refused, but they didn't leave me alone until I accepted. I didn't wanna know him, do you understand? I felt that... you know"

"I get it"

"But anyway, I came here. Greg was sitting on the bed, with the baby asleep in his arms"

Pearl was silent. Lapis cleared her throat and asked "And what happened?"

"I fell in love with Steven as soon as I saw him. It was something I didn't expect, but there he was, that little one who reminded me so much of Rose. And I understood that I should be there for him. The least I could do was love her son, because in a way, she's part of him. Rose would be happy to know that I take care of her son"

"I think you've done very well"

"Thank you. As the months went by, Greg and I finally became friends. He had no problems, I was the one who had put a wall between us. He's not as bad as I thought, and I swear I don't know what would Steven be if we had left him totally in Greg's care!"

Lapis chuckled. Pearl was smiling too. "So" she continued "I moved here, Steven has three mothers and a father, and we love him very much. He looks a lot like Rose, but he also has something of Greg"

"I think Rose would be happy to see that you guys are a big family now, right?"

"I hope so"

Lapis smiled. Well, now she understood all the mystery behind Rose. She still didn't have a very clear opinion about her, but at least now Pearl was fine. And now Lapis understood why she didn't want to be a "second choice" again. Apparently she had been one her whole life. That must be very fucked up. But no, she wasn't going to be a second choice anymore. Lapis wasn't like Rose, but she had to make Pearl realize that. At least being there with her was something, right?

"I know it may sound silly" Pearl said "But I don't wanna be in love with someone again, okay? I don't wanna be... used. I don't need a broken heart."

"You know I won't do that" Lapis said immediatly

"I would like to believe that, but I don't... I need some time"

"I know that everything's being very hasty. I mean, a few hours ago you didn't talk to me and now I'm your human blanket"

Pearl giggled and commented "We look like a bad cliché of a TV show"

"Hey, it's a short time on air. There's no time to apologize... Logically, I don't want you to think I'm desperate..."

"Aren't you?"

"BUT I think wait is silly! You love me, I love you, and I promise you I won't let Greg get me pregnant"

Pearl raised an eyebrow.

"Very soon to make jokes about that? I'm sorry" Lapis said

"Are you sure I'm not being used to make _SOMEONE_ jealous?" Pearl asked

"Hey, I know I'm a cliché, but not so much. I'm sure I want to start from scratch, and I know that I didn't need a girlfriend for that... But it would be nice"

"Can you guarantee that you're serious?"

"I swear to you for my life that I'm serious"

"All right..."

"So...?"

Pearl gently stroked Lapis' hair. She was beginning to love how she felt the gentle massage of Pearl's fingers on her scalp. A tingle ran all over her body.

"I think you owe me a story" Pearl said

Lapis sighed "Couldn't you let it go?"

"A deal's a deal"

Lapis broke away from her and sat on the bed, her back almost naked resting on the cold headboard. She stretched, yawning, and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Pearl put an arm around her waist. At this point, it seemed impossible to Lapis that she had been cold to the point of making her teeth tick. Now everything was so warm...

 

"I lived in an orphanage for girls directed by nuns" Lapis began, still looking at the ceiling "They left me there since I was born, so I grew up there. I don't need to tell you that growing up in that place really forces you to take care of yourself. Since I was little, I got along well with my mates, but I enjoyed being alone. Where I lived, the nuns gave the classes. Classes in the morning and in the afternoon, mixed with hours to pray.

"No offense, but you don't look like the kind of girl who is educated by nuns" Pearl commented, with a giggle

"They either. I was a good student, I had good grades, I learned to read very fast, _BUT_... I was a complete disaster"

"I don't know why that doesn't surprised me..."

"I loved getting into trouble, at least that's what the mother superior said when they sent me to her office. Not a day passed without being scolded, and that earned me the hatred of the woman in charge of maintaining discipline. Guess who she was"

"Who?"

"Holly Blue Agate"

"Agate? Our Agate? No way!"

"She herself. I swear it was her, but I didn't remember it until recently, we can say that I made her job be going behind me all day"

"No way... And was she as bad as now?"

"At first she didn't. She scolded me, then she started to yell at me, but when I exhausted her patience and left me without dinner or without television wasn't enough anymore, she started to hitting me"

"What?!"

"Yes, really. I'd heard rumors that if you behaved very badly, it would happen, but I didn't believe it until one day I made her really angry. Then she took me to an empty classroom, took off her belt and... "

Lapis made a clicking sound with her tongue, with a half smile. However, Pearl didn't laugh.

"That didn't stop me, I don't know what was wrong with me, but it was impossible for me to behave well. Maybe I had ADHD and nobody cared to diagnose me. Anyway, the sister superior scolded me many times, Agate hit me so many times, I spent weeks without dinner, and little Lapis didn't stop... Well, to be fair, I never did anything wrong, but I did incorrect things. They punished me for... I don't know, stealing crayons from the sister's desk to give them to the little ones that didn't manage to take some when they put them on the tables, give food to some punished girl, get into some fight to defend someone from an abusive older girl..."

"Wow... Do you still doubt that you're a good person?"

"Agate didn't believe that. Agate used to say _'This girl is the devil in person, nobody will ever want to adopt her'_. I thought she was right. When there were adoption fairs, I talked so fucking much! And the couples who were looking for a daughter... They wanted a cute little girl to behave well, not a little know-it-all who could spend hours talking about her ideas on outer space"

"And that didn't discourage you?"

"Not at all. They made me think that I should look for another topic to talk about, so I went to the library to read about something else"

"Wait, I have another question. Has your name always been Lapis Lazuli?"

"No, my mom called me that. I'll get to that part of the story soon. My name was Alex"

"Alex?"

"Yeah, like my ex boyfriend. Nice, right? Well, everything you heard in the orphanage was a constant _'For God's sake, Alex, please sit down!'_ Then Agate pulled my ear and took me aside to give me a good beating. Sometimes instead of a belt she used some other objects, that's why the scars"

"That's so fucking awful!"

"And not only did I deal with that. Many older girls didn't like me either, so I'd to endure blows, pinches, they threw me into the mud... I don't know, things like that"

"Wow Lapis... I don't know how you can talk so calm about all that"

" 'Cause it doesn't matter anymore, you understand? It was in the past, it's not important anymore, but I think it's hidden deep inside me. I was afraid of those girls, and I think that's why I felt so bad when Aquamarine started to bother me. It reminded me of those days, but now I don't care anymore again"

"Okay... And about the scar..."

"Oh yeah! Well, there was one more punishment, one that they only used when it was really a very serious offense. One would think that there's nothing worse than being hit with a stick 'til you bleed, but no, there was something worse. The day came when Alex managed to exceed the limit. Don't ask me how, 'cause I don't remember, but I know that I broke a huge cross in the chapel. I shattered it, and that day, for the first time, I was really afraid of Agate. She was so enraged that she gave me a couple of slaps while screaming at me, took me by the back of my blouse and took me to the punishment room"

"And what did you do?"

"Even I understood that I was fucked up. I started crying and screaming, but obviously no one was gonna rescue me. Agate opened the door of that place and threw me in. She closed the door very hard and left me there"

Lapis felt a chill. All that was part of the memories that has suddenly recovered. She saw herself, not Lapis, but Alex. She heard her screams of terror and felt the despair.

"Lapis?"

"She put me in a room that used to be a cleaning closet" Lapis said "But on the four walls, the ceiling and the floor there were mirrors. There was nothing else in the room but me and the light bulb that illuminated everything. Sounds silly, but have you ever put a mirror in front of another? If you stay a while between them, you start to have the feeling that something's gonna appear. Now imagine when they're six. It's a horrible feeling, your mind starts to see things. I screamed, and I screamed, and I cried, for hours and hours. I dont know how much time passed, but I cried and cried until I couldn't anymore. I closed my eyes and lay down on the floor, but it didn't last long, 'cause I felt that something between the mirrors was gonna attack me. It wasn't nice to have my eyes open 'cause I was so afraid... Even now I can't even see myself in a mirror for a long time"

"That's horrible! It was a psychological attack! It's the worst!"

"Yeah, I know, that's why they never used it. If the authorities found out... Well, I got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. I started shouting again, I got up, and I hit the mirrors one by one. I hit them with my fists until one broke"

Lapis showed Pearl the edge her right hand. There was a barely visible white scar. She also had one in the other hand, but it was covered by bandages.

"And then?" Pearl asked, holding Lapis' hand

"Then Agate opens the door, furious that I destroyed her torture chamber. She was completely hysterical, took me by the hair, took one of the largest pieces of mirror and..."

"No!" Pearl exclaimed, wincing in pain.

Lapis nodded. When she was a girl she was very short and thin. The mirror had penetrated her skin like a knife in butter. She remembered the intense pain, remembered her scream, and remembered the fear. Real fear

"Agate told me that I wasn't gonna eat anything for the rest of the month, that I would go to my bunk, and if I said anything, I was gonna get in there again. I ran to the bunk and started crying. I was afraid, and it wouldn't have occurred to me to disobey again. I didn't sleep that night, nightmares and pain wouldn't let me"

Lapis had bristling skin. She felt that suffocating terror for a moment, but it passed when Pearl hugged her.

"It's really scary" Pearl murmured. She had tears in her eyes and her voice was trembling "I'm sorry you had to go through that"

"I don't regret it" Lapis said, smiling "Actually that was the best thing that could happened to me"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes... Really, let me tell you that two days later..."

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Alex was sitting in the central fountain of the playground. It had snowed all night, so everything was covered in white._

_She was very cold and very hungry, 'cause she hadn't eaten for two days. She wouldn't have dared to ask for food. No, she was going to be a good girl._

_Her back hurt a lot. She had taken off her bloodstained uniform and hidden it under her mattress, but then discovered that the previous day's had also ended with a small stain. How long did the wounds bleed? She was afraid of dying for run out of blood._

_Her head and stomach ached. The roar of hunger had turned into a permanent and insistent pain._

_Normally they forced her to stay in the dining room with all the others, even if she didn't eat. But that day, some visitors had gone to see the girls, and surely there would be many uncomfortable questions if they saw that one didn't eat. So Agate had ordered her to go to the playground, despite the cold and snow._

_Not everything was bad. The "visitors" were always rich people who left money. So they bought things for the orphanage. With a little luck, they would buy pillows. Alex had never had a pillow. Sometimes she made one with dirty clothes, but surely a real one would be better._

_Suddenly, she saw a figure in the hallway. For a moment she thought it was her imagination (hunger made her see things) but not... It didn't disappear when she stared at it._

_It was... A woman? Yes! She was the tallest woman she had ever seen! She was even higher than Agate! And she was... Crying? Yes, she walked slowly, delicately wiping away tears._

_Alex didn't move. That woman seemed so unreal that she was afraid that she was a ghost. Then she remembered that ghosts didn't exist._

_Then, the woman looked at her. She didn't look away, she wanted to make sure she was seeing a real person. Then the woman came to her. Granted, the closer she got, the more convinced she became that she was totally real. Yes, she was very tall, and she wore a long blue coat. But what surprised Alex the most was that the woman was beautiful. She was the most beautiful person she had ever seen. She looked like one of those princesses in the movies she sometimes saw on the old television in the rest room. Her light brown hair was straight and very long, and her eyes were blue. An intense blue like the sky in the summer._

_Alex was so hypnotized by the beauty of the woman that when she came back to reality, the woman was already sitting next to her._

_"Hi, little girl" the woman said. Her voice was also very beautiful. It was like a soft whisper "What's your name?"_

_"Alex" she replied timidly, which was unusual. She never got intimidated when she met an adult_

_"Nice to meet you, Alex. My name's Azura Diamond"_

_Lapis offered her hand. The woman smiled and shook hand with her._

_"And tell me, Alex, what are you doing out here? Why aren't you with the others?"_

_She shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't going to tell the whole story._

_"Aren't you cold?"_

_She shook her head and tried not to tremble again. She kept looking at the woman's face fixedly. Then she realized that she was looking at her in the same way._

_"Have you lived here for a long time?" Ms. Diamond asked_

_"Always, since I was a baby" Alex answered, more willing to talk_

_"And how old are you?"_

_"I'll be nine next week"_

_"Nine..." the woman repeated._

_Alex nodded. All her initial shyness was gone, and she felt that from one moment to the next she was going to start talking too much. Ms. Diamond seemed to come out of a trance and asked "Tell me, what do you like to do?"_

_"Many things!" Alex replied, and began to count on the fingers "I like to climb trees, read, draw, run even if they tell me that I shouldn't do it in the hallways... Oh, I like the sea!"_

_"Have you been to the sea?"_

_"Not really, but I see it in the movies. In the library there's a book about the sea, it's my favorite, there are many animals that aren't yet discovered and live in the sea. Do you know that 75% of the Earth is water? There's a lot of strange things in the depths of the oceans. It should be great, don't you think? Imagine you're swimming and you find a giant head! I can't swim, but I'd like to learn. I've seen shows where people swim with fish. They take pictures and all that... Can you imagine being underwater with a lot of fish and a whale suddenly passing by you? "_

_Alex started talking about everything she knew about the sea. There was something that made her keep talking non-stop, something she realized from the beginning. Normally, when she talked like this with adults at the adoption fairs, they nodded and then left. However, and that was incredible, Ms. Diamond not only heard her, she was paying attention to her! She even asked a couple of questions!_

_"How do you know so much about this?" the woman asked, after Alex explained which were the predominant species in the Indian Ocean_

_"I read it in the library, in the book I mentioned" the girl replied, brushing her hair away from her face "I like the library. Agate thinks she punishes me by sending me there instead of watching television, but I like to read. There's a book about space that... "_

_"Alex!"_

_She stopped talking at the sound of Agate's voice. She, the mother superior and the other visitors had left the dining room._

_"Oh, Ms. Diamond!" Agate exclaimed, going to them "I hope this girl hasn't been bothering you!"_

_"Oh no!" Ms. Diamond responded "She told me about several very interesting things"_

_"Alex is a good girl" the mother superior said "A little restless, but very intelligent"_

_Alex smiled, and Ms. Diamond smiled back._

_"Umm Ms. Diamond?" Agate said "Do you want to join us?"_

_"Oh yes, of course" she replied "I catch up with you in a moment"_

_Agate smiled and nodded, but when only Alex saw her, she gave her a warning look._

_"I'd like to hear what that space book said" Ms. Diamond told Alex, putting a strand of hair behind her ear._

_"You could go back... If you want" Alex suggested, excited by the idea "It was a long book, I have a lot to say"_

_"I'm sureof that. I'll be happy to visit you again"_

_"Please do it"_

_"I'll do it, I promise"_

_Alex had forgotten that she was cold and hungry. Suddenly, she just felt happy. Ms. Diamond stroked her cheek with her hand, smiled and said "What beautiful eyes you have! I really love that intense blue, it's like the color of..." the woman absently took the other hand to her necklace. In it, there was a dark blue stone with drop shape "Of lapis lazuli..."_

_Alex didn't know what that was, but she didn't ask. She stared at the woman, right in the eye. She was very happy to be punished. If she had been inside, she would have gone unnoticed._

_"I'll be back, I promise" Ms. Diamond said, waving goodbye_

_"See you then!"_

 

* * *

 

 

"It's not true" Pearl said

"It's true! I swear" Lapis assured, smiling

"It's... It's the cutest story I've ever heard"

"We could make a Disney movie with her, huh? But it happened just like that. That day I met mom, it was the happiest day of my life"

"She came back the next day or...?"

"Yes, I couldn't believe it! Nobody ever visited me, and it was not visiting day, but rich people have privileges even if they deny it. I remember seeing her and I ran to hug her, then we talked for hours about space. She taught me many things that weren't in that book. I suddenly didn't care that I'd eaten only a small piece of bread"

"You two really made a connection from the start, didn't you?"

"Totally"

"And hey, you look a lot like her. It isn't weird? It's destiny or something"

"I've heard that before. I do look like her, but.. with darker colors, huh?"

Pearl laughed. Lapis had never admitted it, but she loved being told she looked like her mother.

"Sure she decided to adopt you as soon as she saw you" Pearl said

"Well, I didn't know this until long after, but the night after she met me, mommy called auntie Bianca to say 'Hey, I'm gonna adopt a girl'. Well, maybe she didn't use those words, but you understand"

"Are you serious?"

"That's what she told me. I don't know what she saw in me either"

"Well, you sound like a lovely girl"

"Even if it was true, it's incredible that it took me 20 minutes to convince her to stay with me"

"And she kept visiting you every day?"

"Every day, until my birthday"

"What happened on your birthday?"

"Well..."

 

* * *

 

 

_"Ms. Diamond!" Alex exclaimed, running towards the woman_

_"Hi sweetheart!" she replied, bending down to hug her "Happy birthday!"_

_"Thanks"_

_Alex hugged the woman very hard. She liked the smell of her hair. When she was in her arms, she felt very good. Hunger, pain and fear vanished momentarily._

_When Ms. Diamond released her, she brushed her hand over the site of the girl's back where the wound was. Alex winced._

_"What's wrong, honey?" the woman asked, worried_

_"Nothing" Alex replied immediately_

_She looked at her suspiciously, but didn't insist._

_Alex chattered happily for a long time. As always, she had a lot to talk about. This time it was really important. She had read a geology book, and at last she had discovered what lapis lazuli was. It turned out to be a dark blue gem (as Ms. Diamond had said, the color of Alex's eyes). She had read everything she found about that gem, and she told Ms. Diamond. She also noticed that the woman's drop necklace was made of that gem. Oh, now she understood everything._

_They had gone to sit at the fountain in the playground. The layer of snow was now thicker, and several girls were making snowmen._

_"Hey Alex" the woman said suddenly, with a slight smile "I want to ask you a very important question"_

_"Sure" she said, swinging her feet_

_"What would you say if I wanted you to come and live with me?"_

_At first Alex didn't understand, so only said an innocent "What?"_

_"You know, come with me, to my house. You would have your own room, I could take you to the sea if you want"_

_The little girl felt a warmth spread across her chest, like when you drink something hot. What was happening?_

_"Go with you? Outside?" she asked "Get out of here?"_

_"Yes" Ms. Diamond said. A couple of tears appeared in her eyes, but she was smiling "Alex, would you like me to adopt you?"_

_The girl stared at her. Then, she felt like crying. Ms. Diamond wanted to adopt her? Someone wanted to adopt her?! How was even possible? Everyone told her that nobody would want someone like her! She had been rejected many times..._

_But not now! It felt weird, as if everything was a dream. But no! It was real!_

_"Of course!" she exclaimed "When? Now? When will I be able to go with you?"_

_"Right now" the woman replied "I wanted it to be a surprise, but now everything's ready. Today we're leaving, little girl"_

_She couldn't believe it! She really was gonna get out! Someone really loved her! She hugged the woman very hard and burst into tears. She was very happy, as happy as she had never been._

_"Thank you!" she exclaimed "Thank you so much, Ms. Diamond!"_

_"You don't have to call me that way anymore, sweetie" the woman replied, also between sobs_

_Alex looked at her and said "Thanks, mommy"_

  

* * *

 

 

_Alex couldn't believe her luck. She had even stopped feeling pain and hunger, she was full of happiness._

_It was great for her to take off the orphanage's uniform and wear normal clothes, even if they was old clothes that came from donations. She didn't have many possessions, except for an old teddy bear and a couple of comics. She had said goodbye to her friends and the mother superior, who asked her to behave herself, and finally, she went out with Ms. Diamond from the place._

_Now they were in a very elegant black car, driven by a man in a suit. Alex felt like she was in a dream. She really had been adopted! And right on her birthday!_

_"Ms. Dia... Mommy?" Alex said, correcting herself just in time_

_"Yes, honey?" the woman replied, who had had teary eyes for hours._

_"Are we going home?"_

_"Well, I thought about going to eat first. Wherever you want, to celebrate your birthday"_

_"Wherever I want? Really?"_

_"Really"_

_"Oh, can we eat a burger? I've never tasted one, I've seen them on television but..."_

_Azura laughed a bit at her daughter's enthusiasm and said "Of course we do" Then, she gave directions to the driver._

_"And then we'll go home?" Alex insisted_

_"Well... Not exactly. You see, I was just gonna move to a new city, but I decided to spend a few days here before I got there. When my sister, your Aunt Bianca, heard that I was here, she asked me to make the donation to the orphanage personally. She usually only send the money but since I was here... Anyway, I was only supposed to be here for a couple of days"_

_"But...?"_

_"But I didn't expect that I would find this little cinnamon roll"_

_The woman hugged her very hard. Alex started crying of happiness again. She had a mom, a real mom!_

_"Do not cry, sweetie" Azura said, although she also let a couple of tears roll down her cheeks_

_"I'm very happy" Alex explained. "You're my mom!"_

_"I'm also very happy that you are my daughter, I promise to be the best mom in the world, honey"_

_Alex didn't doubt that it would be like that. She hugged her mother. She’ll never let her go._

_"We'll spend the night at the hotel" Azura said "You'll like it. There's a pool, we could start your swimming lessons, and tomorrow we'll take a flight home"_

_"A flight? On a plane?!" Alex exclaimed_

_"On a plane" her mother confirmed_

_"That's fantastic! How does it feel to fly?"_

_"I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out"_

_Alex couldn't believe her luck. She had just left the orphanage and was going to get a burger, a pool and a flight! And most importantly, a mom. And she turned out to be the most intelligent, kind and beautiful woman in the whole world! Really, everything seemed like a dream._

_"By the way, there's another thing I have to tell you" Azura said "I know I should've asked you first, but..."_

_"What are you talkin 'about?"_

_The woman giggled and said "Alex is a very nice name, but I wanted to give you another one..."_

_"Really? Wich one?"_

_It didn't surprise her. She knew that most girls were given another name when they adopted them. She didn't care much either, having a new name was like starting her new life from the beginning. Her mother didn't respond. Instead, she showed her the adoption certificate so she could read it herself._

_"Lapis Lazuli Diamond?" the girl read "Oh, it's like the stone of your necklace!"_

_"Do you like it?" Azura asked, smiling_

_"I love it! Hi, my name's Lapis Lazuli"_

_"Do you want to know why I chose that name?"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Experts associate this gem with nobility and purity. It's difficult to find, and for that reason it's very, very valuable" the woman took off her necklace put it on the girl's neck "Just like you"_

_Alex, or rather, Lapis, touched the necklace and looked at her mother._

_"It's also the exact color of your eyes, I couldn't help it" her mother completed, laughing_

_Lapis laughed too and hugged her again. She felt completely different. And of course, she was someone different. Now she was Lapis Lazuli Diamond._

 

* * *

 

 

"Seriously, it's the cutest story I've ever heard" Pearl said

"Are you crying?" Lapis asked

"Oh, shut up!"

Lapis laughed and kept the smile on her lips. It felt great to talk about the best day of her life.

"Adoption processes tend to be long" Pearl said.

"Surely, but mom gave them a lot of money to speed things up"

"Of course, it shouldn't have been complicated. That is, they only had to look at your mother's file to know that you were gonna be very good with her"

"And they were right"

"Well, what happened after you changed your name and that?"

"We went to eat... and c'mon! I don't know if these burgers were very good or if it was because I hadn't eaten for almost a week, but that was the best meal of my life. And then mom bought me a lot of clothes,and she didn't care that I chose almost only boy clothes, I didn't even realize. She also bought me some toys and some books. Then we went to the hotel, and we spent the whole afternoon in the pool. Mom explained how to keep me afloat and showed me some movements, by the end of the day I knew how to swim a little, enough to cross the pool from side to side in the safe part, and fuck, the bed had pillows!"

Pearl laughed at the joke. Lapis sighed and continued, "You should've seen that room, I had no idea, but I was in the damn presidential suite. I didn't really realize that I had adopted by a very rich woman until later, I didn't really care. I don't care, I was already quite happy that she was my mom, everything else is left over"

"That's very nice, Lapis. You're really a very good girl, but tell me, when did she notice your back wound?"

"That night. I had to tell her that it hurt a lot. You know, maybe the chlorine in the pool"

"And what did she say?"

"She went crazy. She obviously not only saw that wound, she also saw all the scars on my back. She took me to a nearby hospital. I was terrified, it was my first time in a hospital"

"And what happened?"

"They only gave me some pain pills and they covered the wound, it was not too deep to need stitches, but it could get infected. They also told mom that I was very malnourished and yes, all my injuries were from blows. Mom asked me many questions, and I told her many things"

"And what did she do then?"

"I didn't realize it then... In fact I didn't know until recently that I heard she told Aunt Bianca. Mom sued Agate"

"Really?"

"Yes, and she was saved from jail but they fired her, and at some point they hired her here but I don't have many more details. Mommy always had a lot of tact when asking me questions, but when I heard her talking to auntie Bianca... The woman was really furious. She was like _'What the fuck is this? I don't want that bitch to be near to Lapis!'_ "

"That's crazy... And what happened after that night? The night at the hotel, I mean"

"Well, the next day, she didn't ask me so many questions, she let me enjoy the flight and she answered all my questions about the plane, about her and about our new house. And when we arrived at the house... Pearl, I swear I don't know how I did for not fainted from happiness. I loved the idea of having a home, and my room... I do not know how she did it, but my room was perfect! It was blue, it had a huge bed, and it was full of toys and books and had my own television"

"Like in a dream..."

"Exactly, it was all so unreal... But seriously, all those things didn't matter to me at the time, I just wanted to be with mommy all the time. No matter what I asked, Mom had the answer, she was like a living encyclopedia"

"And I imagine she kept asking you things,even if she made it seem unimportant"

"Something like that. A couple of days after I got home, she took me to get my first real haircut. In the hair salon there were a lot of mirrors obviously, and I was terrified. At first, mom thought it was because of the haircut. I asked her to put my back to the mirrors. Then, when we got out of there, she asked me about it, and I explained the best I could how I felt about the mirrors"

"And what happened?"

"Months and months of visits to the psychologist, that happened. As I talked in detail with the therapist, mom found out about all the abuse I had suffered and apparently used it in court, but in the end the therapy worked, and it worked so well that I forgot all that shit until recently... "

"When you saw Agate"

"Exact"

"Wow Lapis... It's... Really interesting"

"So, to conclude, I tattooed the lapis lazuli of mom's necklace just above the scar as a symbol that now it's me, Lapis, and not the girl who was mistreated in the orphanage"

"It's a beautiful meaning to your tattoo, and I think your story with your mom is very nice"

"It's, she's... the best"

Lapis sighed. She couldn't believe she had forgotten all that in the last few weeks. Everything her mother had done for her, and she had behaved so badly... She wanted to show her that she could still be the little girl who had captivated her, and at the same time, that she had grown and matured.

"Can I call you Alex?" Pearl asked

"No, please"

Pearl laughed. Lapis liked the sound of her laughter. She could get used to it. They didn't say anything after that. Lapis even felt her throat ache from so much talking. They lasted so long in silence that Lapis fell asleep a couple of times.

"Pearl?" she whispered, half asleep

"Yes?" Pearl said, with a sleepy voice

"Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes"

Lapis smiled and hugged Pearl.

"Thanks" she said, and she fell asleep almost immediately

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much of this chapter came before the fic began :v I really wanted to write something about the meeting of Lapis and Azura :'3  
> By the way, don't worry about Pearl, Lapis'll behave well with her :3 don't worry about Peri either xD  
> Please, if you like this story, leave a comment, I would appreciate it very much<3


	29. Flying High Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do the gems react to the return of Lapis?  
> And more importantly, what will Peridot think of her ex's new girlfriend?

Lapis noticed two things when she woke up the next morning. The first was that she couldn't breathe through her nose. The second was that Pearl was hugging her with arms and legs.  
The girl smiled and snuggled again. Through the curtains she could see the gray sky. There was a gentle rain outside.  
She could have stayed there for a long time, she could have even gone back to sleep. But then she sneezed.  
She felt Pearl move next to her, and she sneezed again.  
"Good morning, Lapis" Pearl said "Bless you"  
"I think I caught a cold" Lapis commented  
"You were soaked, it would've been weird if you didn't get sick"  
Lapis turned to face her. Then she kissed Pearl on the cheek before saying "Now you have my germs"  
"I already had them anyway"  
Pearl stroked her back and kissed her on the lips. Lapis returned it.  
"Did you know that you snore while you sleep?" Pearl said  
"What? It's not true!"  
"Yes it is. Like a tractor"  
"Liar"  
Lapis stretched and yawned, realizing she wasn't wearing a bra. Pearl either. Well, that wasn't weird, since it wasn't comfortable sleeping with that on. They sure took it away while they were sleeping.  
"Oh my god!" Lapis exclaimed, sitting up, noticing something else  
"What?" Pearl asked  
"You said yes!"  
"Uh?"  
"You said yes! You're my girlfriend!"  
"Well, yes, I think so"  
Lapis laughed and kissed her. Oh shit, suddenly that morning was very beautiful.  
"I promise not to disappoint you" Lapis said  
"I know you won't" Pearl responded, giggling.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Your hair"  
Lapis ran her hand over her head, and felt she had bed head. She tried to fix it with her hand, letting out a grunt.  
"I wonder if one day I'll see you with your hair groomed" Pearl comented, combing Lapis' hair with her fingers  
"That has been mommy's wish for nine years" Lapis replied, before sneezing again. She was starting to feel really sick.  
"Bless you. Hey, I want you to promise me something"  
"Sure, tell me"  
Pearl brushed the hair off Lapis' forehead, and ran her hand over her face before saying "You have to promise me you won't get into any fight, with anyone"  
"What?"  
"No more fights, no matter how much they provoke you"  
"But ... But what if they're bothering you?"  
"It won't happen. Promise me that Lapis, I don't want you to be hurt again"  
"Okay. No more fights, I promise"  
"That's my girl"  
Pearl came over to kiss her, but Lapis walked away quickly and sneezed.  
"Bless you" Pearl said, laughing "Do you want a pill or something?"  
"No, I just have to blow my nose and pee"  
"Okay, it's the last door"  
Lapis kissed her and got up from the bed. She could almost feel Pearl's gaze on her naked back. She took her t-shirt off the floor and put it on. It was still damp.  
"Don't miss me too much" she said to the girl as she stood up  
"I'm gonna try to survive"  
Lapis came barefoot from the room. It hurt to step on the right foot, but it was a more bearable pain, she didn't have to limp so much. She rubbed her arms, the house was very cold. Or maybe she felt that way because of her cold t-shirt.  
She reached the bathroom, but when she was going to take the knob the door opened, and she found herself face to face with a sleepy Greg wearing only boxers.  
"Greg!" she exclaimed, over jumping  
"Ah! What ...?" Greg looked at her confused "Lapis?"  
Lapis crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the absence of her bra. Greg glanced involuntarily at the naked legs of the girl, blushed completely and looked at her face, babbling "I-I like your haircut"  
"Thanks" Lapis said, very nervous  
"I... I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here and... Wait ... You were with Pearl?!"  
"Kind of..."  
"What am I doing? Go ahead, I'll see you at breakfast! It's good to see you"  
That said, he went almost running. Upon entering the bathroom, she saw that she was completely flushed. Great way to regain her friendship with Greg.

* * *

"So you two are officially dating?" Greg asked, removing the pan from the fire  
"I think so" Lapis replied  
It was a little later. They were in the kitchen, catching up on what had happened, and now both dressed, Lapis wearing Pearl clothes.  
"That's great" Greg said, serving the eggs "Pearl was crazy for you... Don't tell her I told you"  
"I won't"  
"But hey! I thought you didn't talk to each other!"  
"That's true. Yesterday I came to apologize and you see how it ended"  
"Wow, you guys act fast!"  
"Do you think I hurried too much?"  
"Nah. I mean, if you're sure of what you feel..."  
Yeah, she was sure. She relaxed a little. At least someone thought that this was a good decision. She was also glad to know that Greg was still her friend. Of course, she hadn't said or done anything wrong to him, but she was still happy to know that she did not bear any grudge.  
"Say 'Good morning everyone!' " Pearl said cheerfully, entering the kitchen with little Steven in her arms.  
"Monin!" the kid exclaimed  
Greg went to Pearl and took the baby, greeting him. Steven laughed and hugged his father's neck.  
"I think he's much better" Pearl said "His temperature drops and he no longer have a stuffy nose" at that moment, Lapis sneezed "But I think someone else should go to a doctor's check"  
"I'll be fine" Lapis said, wiping her nose with a paper napkin  
That's when Steven noticed her. The kid saw her with confusion.  
"Say hi" Greg said, giving him a kiss on the cheek  
Steven, who wore a thick red jacket and his hair was very messy, stared at her, and then turned to see his father and Pearl.  
"C'mon Steven" Pearl encouraged him, taking the child and pulling him to Lapis "Say hello to Lapis"  
"Lappy?" Steven said, looking around  
"Yes, Lapis. She" Pearl pointed at the girl  
"No. Lappy bdu"  
"I think he's trying to say 'Lapis blue' " Greg pointed out.  
"Oh, he doesn't recognize you!" Pearl laughed  
"Oh, c'mo!n" Lapis exclaimed, standing up and approaching Steven "C'mon buddy, it's me. You see? I'm Lapis. We had a lot of fun playing, remember?"  
"Lappy?" Steven asked, looking at Lapis and Pearl  
"Yes, it's Lapis" Pearl confirmed "Go with her"  
Lapis took Steven in her arms. He stared at her for a moment. Then, he seemed to decide that it was her, 'cause he hugged her and said "Monin Lappy!"  
"Morning, Steven"  
Pearl smiled at her and stroked her hair before going to help Greg with the breakfast. Lapis felt strangely comforted to have Steven in her arms. She started playing with him, making funny noises to make him laugh. Well, whatever happened now, Lapis was glad to know that at least not everyone hated her. And that, in fact, there were people who loved her. Even if it was a chubby child who found fart noises very funny.

* * *

 **POV Peridot**  
The only thing she needed now. Peridot grumbled when she opened her locker and some notebooks and books slipped and fell to the floor. She started lifting them and throwing them inside.  
Her weekend hadn't been exactly good. Her mother had left on Friday night and Blaine had had a party. Peri still had a headache from all the noise of the music and the scandalous people. Then, the next day her mother had scolded her during the dinner for listening to "that infernal noise" at high volume. Peri didn't understand why her mother was like that. She had been listening to Nirvana, but she was sure the volume was adequate, especially since she hated high volumes. Sure it was just because it was rock. And Peri has never been a fan of that genre, until... Well, it doesn't matter. Her mother punished her by leaving her all weekend without cell phone, table or laptop. At least Blaine didn't laugh at her. Sure she was afraid Peri would tell her mom about the party. Maybe she would 't. The last time dhe dared, Blaine had destroyed her scale model of Notre-Dame Cathedral.  
When she bent down to take the last notebook, her glasses slipped down her nose and also fell. Damn, she needed some new ones. Those were too big and they were pretty damaged.  
Someone stepped forward and took them. Peri prayed that it wasn't Blaine or Aquamarine or someone like that. She looked up but of course, she saw nothing. Luckily, the figure handed her the glasses. Peri took them and put them on, muttering "Thanks"  
"You're welcome"  
Lapis smiled a little. Peridot stared at her for a few moments and couldn't help saying "What happened to your hair?"  
"It's gone" the girl answered, opening her locker  
Peridot continued to watch her for a few more moments before realizing that she was doing it. She returned to her own bussiness, but couldn't avoid looking at her out of the corner of her eye. What happened? Where was the blue?! The radical change took her by surprise. Just a couple of days before, Lapis' hair was below her shoulders and now it didn't even fully cover her ears. She didn't like the sudden and extreme changes. But she had to admit, Lapis looked so pretty with short hair... Yes, although it was very rare to see her with brown hair, she would look great with any haircut. She was naturally pretty, everything else didn't matter, and it was something everyone noticed. That's to say, it wasn't usual that so many people in school have a crush on a girl who wore flannels most of the time and didn't even wear make-up. Oh yes, Lapis was... Beautiful. _"What are you doing? Stop thinking that!"_  
"Peri? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Lapis asked while closing her locker  
"Yeah, sure"  
Why did she said yes? She had promised not to talk to her!  
But she couldn't say no... There was something different about her. Besides her drastic haircut. Maybe it was that she no longer had that tired and moody expression. Or that she didn't have bags under her eyes. Oh man, she even had to see the rest of her appearance. She didn't wear piercings. Her hair was messy, but not as much as ever, she had tried to comb her hair to one side. And it was one of those days when she didn't use a flannel. In fact she wore... decent clothes? Not elegant, but to put it that way, something that Pearl would use.  
The most unusual thing in her appearance was that his nose was red and irritated, but that was explained when Lapis sneezed and wiped her nose with a tissue.  
"I want to apologize for being a dork all this time" Lapis said, and this time her voice sounded a little nasal  
Peri didn't respond. She didn't need to hear anymore to know it was a sincere apology. She knew her enough to realize it.  
"I... I did bad things, and I really feel bad 'bout how I behaved" Lapis continued "But I realized, and I would like to fix it. I want to change and stop being a complete idiot"  
"That's fine, very fine" Peri said "I'm glad to hear that"  
Lapis chuckled and stroked her hair with her bandaged hand. Peri also noticed that her ankle was bandaged too. She hated that she got into fights. No, she hated to see her hurt. Lapis didn't deserve to have so many scars. _"Damn, stop thinking these things!"_  
"So... I wanted... to know if we could be friends" Lapis said  
"You... What?"  
"Yeah, I... I'll probably go back to... Hang out with the crystal gems. I don't want it to be uncomfortable or something. If you accept, we can try to be friends, like... before everything happens"  
Wait a minute. What was she doing? It was one of her tricks to try to be together again? No. No, it wasn't. Or...?  
"Oh, no, don't think..." Lapis started, as if she had read her mind "I've forgotten that, it's part of the past. I don't care anymore don't worry. I just don't want us to continue pretending that we were nothing. We were friends, right?"  
Peridot was silent for a few moments. What? Lapis didn't care anymore?! But what happened? Maybe... _"Hold on! This is what you wanted, isn't it? Did you want Lapis to get over it?. Congratulations! She already did it! That’s great!"_  
"Mom said she didn't wanna see me near you" Peri said. It was the first thing that came to her mind, and it wasn't a lie. Her mother had forbidden her and Blaine from being near Lapis..  
"Oh, right..." Lapis said, still running her hand through her hair. Peri was beginning to wonder how it would feel to sink her fingers into Lapis' new hair "Could we try? Maybe she won't notice, or maybe she'll realize I'm not that bad"  
Peri wasn't even paying attention to what was happening. Her mind insisted on thinking about what Lapis had said about how she had already get over her. Why did she care so much? They didn't even talk to each other anymore. She didn't care. She could even date someone! Why should she care?  
"I guess it's okay" Peridot said  
"Oh, thanks!" Lapis exclaimed, smiling "Thank you so much, I won't do stupid things anymore"  
"I think that's inevitable for you, right?" the blonde replied, with a smile  
"Yeah, it's true"  
"You look good with that haircut"  
"Oh, thanks"  
It was very weird... Lapis smiled at the compliment, but... She didn't blush. Not that it mattered or something, but before she blushed completely when she heard the slightest compliment. _"Before, when she liked you"_  
It's true, fuck! She didn't like Lapis either. What was the damn problem?  
"Thanks again Peridot" Lapis repeated "I've to go to class but I'll see you later"  
"Okay" she replied "Bye, Lapis"  
She waved goodbye and walked away, limping a little at each step.  
Peridot followed her with her sight until she disappeared. Yes, she had no idea what happened, but it felt very strange. That is, the last time she had told her she hated her, and now she accepted being her friend. Of course, this Lapis wasn't the same one she had shouted at. She was different.  
But that didn't matter. Fuck it. She could talk to her a couple of times a day and that was it. There was no need to worry.

* * *

 **POV Lapis**  
Lapis was standing in the cafeteria, with the tray in her hands.  
The day had been weird. She felt like everyone was different with her. On Friday everyone saw her as if they were afraid of her, but today she had returned to call attention in a non-hostile way, so to speak. Several people had complimented her on her new look. And fuck! Everyone's face when she left walked down the hall holding hands with Pearl. It was weird.  
The previous day she had returned home after breakfast with Pearl and Greg. Her mom had been very surprised to see her, but she loved the haircut, and above all, that Lapis kept the brown this time. Everything Lapis heard throughout the day was "You look beautiful, honey". In addition, Lapis told her what had happened with Pearl. Azura had opined that she had rushed too much, but couldn't hide how happy she was for it. Lapis knew very well that her mother was glad that she was dating Pearl, because she adored her.  
And in fact, Azura had some reason to say that Pearl influenced Lapis, because that morning she woke up wondering what Pearl would wear to go to school, and she dressed more or less decently. She wasn't wearing any piercing, at least that day. She would stay with the piercings of the ears, but she would no longer use the one of her nose, at least for a while. She had tried to comb her hair, but it only cooperated for about 20 minutes before starting to be messy again. In any case, her mother had been delighted to see her well dressed, for a change.  
In fact, it was surprising everyone. That day she had returned to participate in class and to really pay attention and not just pretend that she did. That wasn't strange, considering that she had to improve her grades, 'cause she had done very badly in the past exams. Luckily, she didn't take much work to catch up. Learning was easy for her, she simply had to pay attention.  
The only thing she sure couldn't fix was the swim team thing. She had made the coach so angry that there was no way to be accepted again. But maybe it was the best. She could use those hours to study the subjects where she was delayed.  
In general, it had been a good day if she left aside the fact that her cold had worsened and she hadn't stopped sneezing.  
"Hey" Pearl said, stopping next to her "I thought you would go to the table with the girls"  
"I can't" Lapis replied, without looking at her.  
"Of course you can, you should just walk over there"  
"I can't, Amethyst hates me"  
"She doesn't hate you, she's just angry. Garnet isn't even angry, and you said things with Peridot worked for you"  
Well, at least that last part was true. She had expected Peridot to reject her, but she had said yes to trying to be friends. Lapis was very proud of herself for doing that. She thought it was going to be weird, but it wasn't. She really got over Peridot. She couldn't believe it, but if they asked her, she wouldn't have gpt back with her. At last she had stopped missing her.  
"C'mon, it's okay" Pearl insisted.  
"It's just..."  
At that moment, a girl that Lapis had seen just a couple of times passed in front of them, smiled at her and said "Hey Lapis"  
She smiled and nodded. The girl didn't stop smiling and kept moving forward.  
"What was that?" Pearl asked, giggling   
"You won't believe it, but suddenly there are many lesbians around here" Lapis murmured, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her sweater.  
"What?"  
"At least five girls have done something like that today, I don't understand anything"  
"I told you, you look beautiful with your new look"  
"And incredibly gay, apparently"  
"That's right, incredibly beautiful and gay"  
"Nobody spoke to me a few days ago and now the girls and boyys flirt with me. This is very weird"  
"I can't blame them. After all, it's easy to be attracted to you"  
"I feel bad for them"  
"Why?"  
"Because they like me, but I'm in so fucking love with my idiot girl"  
"I love the way you say you love me. And hey, if that girl smiles at you like that again, I'm gonna kill her"  
"I didn't know you were jealous"  
"I'm not jealous, but nobody's gonna come and smile to my girlfriend like that"  
"Sure"  
"But forget it, that's not gonna distract me from taking your butt to that table"  
"Damn! At least I was close to getting you to forget it?"  
"Not even a little"  
"You know what, I feel a little bad, I think I should go to..."  
"Liar"  
"No, really! I'm sick, remember?"  
"It's not that bad"  
Lapis had to give in, and followed Pearl through the tables. She felt watched. She really wondered if one day she would stop attracting attention in that school.  
"Hi everyone" Pearl greeted, sitting next to Garnet "The row today was unusually long, did you notice it?"  
Lapis had stopped, suppressing the desire to escape the murderous look of Amethyst.  
"Do you want to sit down?" Pearl asked  
Lapis, without saying anything or looking at anyone, sat next to her. Peridot didn't say anything, just looked from Amethyst to Lapis and vice versa.  
"Wow!" Amethyst exclaimed at last "I heard rumors that Pearl had a boyfriend, but I didn't think he was such a pathetic one"  
"There's no need to behave like that, Amethyst" Pearl said  
"Hey, who told you you could bring her here?"  
"I'll leave, no problem" Lapis said "Pearl..."  
"No, you won't" Pearl responded "Nowhere does it say you can ban someone from using the cafeteria tables"  
"Don't come with that, you forgot what she did to you? She's..."  
"Amethyst" Garnet interrupted "Lapis comes with Pearl. You have to respect that"  
"It must be a joke, G. You don't want her to be here either"  
"I never said that"  
"Peri?"  
Peridot looked at Lapis, then at Amethyst and said "For me there's no problem"  
"What's wrong with you all?!" Amethyst exclaimed  
"Pearl, I better go..." Lapis murmured  
"I want you here" Pearl said, smiling  
Lapis couldn't help but smile as well. Okay, she just had to avoid crossing her gaze with Amethyst.  
"Does anyone wanna explain what's going on?" the mexican girl demanded  
"I... I think I should start apologizing to you" Lapis said "I know I was a horrible person, and I'm really sorry"  
"And now you think everything's fine? Well, fuck you"  
"It's totally understandable that you don't wanna talk to me, I don't blame you, but if you could give me an opportunity to show you that I can be different..."  
Amethyst looked at the others and asked "Do you guys believe this shit?"  
"I do" Pearl said  
"Someone who isn't in love with her believes this shit?"  
"Me too" Peridot said, without looking at Amethyst  
The girl looked at her, surprised. She sought a last opinion on Garnet, staring at her.  
"I must say that I'm also surprised" Garnet began, in a calm voice "To tell you the truth, this is totally unexpected for everyone"  
"Yes, I know, but..." Lapis started  
"However" Garnet interrupted "It would be nice to realize you are telling the truth. I would like to hang out with the old Lapis again"  
"I can be the one I used to be, I promise!"  
"Saying it is very easy. I'll believe you when I see it. Let your actions speak for you. I'd like to see a real change in you, but we cann't see it if we decide to exclude her, right, Amethyst?"  
"I guess you're right" Ame replied, in a bad mood "But for the record, I don't agree with this! I'm not gonna forget how you treated everyone at this table, so you'll really have to work hard to convince me"  
"Thanks! I'll do things right, you'll see!"  
"Then tell me, what happened to Jasper?"  
Lapis stopped smiling and looked at her tray. She started eating, feeling strange.  
"Keep secrets from your friends. That doesn't speak very well of you..." Amethyst said  
"I can't talk about that now" Lapis murmured, without looking up.  
"Oh, was it so bad? Fuck, you broke the bitch's nose!"  
Lapis looked up. Everyone was staring at her. She shook her head and insisted "Not now, please"  
"Oh, c'mon, you..."  
"If she don't wanna talk 'bout that, we're not gonna force her, okay?" Pearl intervened "Leave her alone"  
"But..."  
"Amethyst" Garnet intervened  
Peridot said nothing, but Lapis was sure that, if she could choose, she would also like Lapis to leave. At least she was grateful for the effort.  
They were silent for several minutes. It would have been terribly uncomfortable if not being with Pearl gave her confidence. Peri looked at her from time to time, but it sure was because it bothered her that Lapis chewed with her mouth open. But hey, it wasn't her fault, she couldn't breathe through her nose yet.

* * *

 **POV Peridot**  
Seeing Lapis chew with her mouth open was killing her. Fuck, why couldn't she simply ignore it?! No, it is annoying and it have to stop.  
Clearly that was the least important for the others. Amethyst looked angry, and of course she was angry! She really didn't like Lapis anymore, and Peri understood. Garnet always seemed to be pretty neutral, so she could tell that she wasn't upset by Lapis' presence at all. Rather, she seemed tense that the situation was so unstable. That is, Ame was quite unpredictable, now she was calm but could explode at the slightest provocation.  
What Peri really didn't understand was Pearl's attitude. It's just that... Well, apparently Lapis had told her terrible things and made her feel really bad. Peri was aware, even had seen the peach-haired girl cry. So why was she so calm now? What had Lapis done to convince her?  
And most importantly, that insinuation that Amethyst made of a relationship between them...  
 _"So? What does it matter if she's her girlfriend?"_  
Did she care or not? Of course not. What bothered her was that all this happened so quickly. Lapis had done bad things, why did everyone forgive her so easily?  
 _"You know she's not lying"_  
Ahhhh, why was this whole matter of hang out with people is so complicated?!  
"Hey"  
They all looked up. Jasper was standing there. She had gauze on her nose. Damn, did Lapis really have broken her nose?  
Peri didn't like Jasper. She was huge and imposing and always sarcastic. She was a little scary, mainly because Peri didn't even reach her shoulder height.  
Lapis went pale and shrugged in her seat. What the hell had happened between them?  
"You, come here" Jasper ordered to Lapis  
"Hey, you can't come and give orders!" Pearl jumped  
"The issue is not with you. Come on Lapis"  
"You've already heard Pearl" Garnet said, very serious "You're not gonna give orders to Lapis"  
"Come on, I just want to talk about .."  
"Fine!" Lapis exclaimed, standing up  
"What? No!" Pearl said, also getting up from her seat  
"It's okay, it'll only be a few minutes"  
"We'll pick you up in five minutes" Garnet said, looking at Jasper  
"Thanks" Lapis said  
Lapis walked to the exit of the cafeteria. That was a terrible idea, even Peri wanted to ask her to stay.  
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Jasper said, before following her.  
Pearl sat down, not taking her eyes off Jasper.  
"I think she stole your girlfriend" Amethyst said, laughing  
"It's not funny Amethyst, did you see Lapis' expression? If Jasper does something to her, I swear..."  
"You can't do anything, she's gonna crush you. Relax, she won't do anything to her. My uncle was very angry at her for showing up with a broken nose, she won't risk having the punishment extended. But I wouldn't mind if she would take revenge"  
"Do you wanna stop talking bad about Lapis?"  
"Uhh no. I haven't forgotten that she's a shit"  
"She tries to change, why don't you trust her?"  
"Why do you do it?! After how she spoke to you that day, I can't believe you trust her. Unless..." Amethyst opened her eyes wide and looked at Peri. Then she went back to see Pearl and said "A menos que en realidad andes con esa pendeja"  
"Quizás sí" Pearl replied. Peri looked at her. Fuck, even Garnet was surprised  
"Pero qué mierda..? Por qué le dijiste que sí?! Estás loca o qué?"  
"Amethyst, I can understand what you're saying" Peridot said  
They all looked at Peridot. Pearl cleared her throat and said "Yes, Lapis is my girlfriend now"  
Peri suddenly felt a void. Shit, Ame's jokes were one thing, but listen to the confirmation...  
"It... It doesn't bother you, right?" Pearl asked to her  
"No" Peridot lied "I don't care. Congrats"  
"Of course she doesn’t care!" Amethyst exclaimed "The problem is that you said yes! We can't leave you alone for a weekend 'cause you do this, what things did she say to convince you?"  
"She didn't 'convince' me, okay?"  
"Pearl, I think Amethyst's right" Garnet said, serious as usual, putting her hand on Pearl's shoulder "One day you two don't talk and the other she's your girlfriend, what happened?"  
Oh no. No, Peri didn't want to hear that story. She didn't want to hear the story of how Lapis had declared her love to someone else. Maybe their relationship was over, but that did't mean this didn't hurt.  
But why did it hurt? She was the one who broke up with Lapis. Time had passed, this didn't make sense. She wasn't in love with Lapis. She tried to think of something else, anything to avoid listening to Pearl.  
Pearl... She and Lapis had always been close, and Lapis said they were friends, and nothing else. Yep, another lie to the list. She could understand why Lapis had decided to look for her. Pearl was cute. She and Lapis would make a good couple.Pearl wasn't going to ask her to hide, nor was she going to break her heart.  
"I don't understand" Garnet said when Peri finally came out of her thoughts "Everything's being very hurried, and I'm surprised at you, you usually think things very well"  
"And it seems that this time you just said 'Fuck it, I'll say yes' Or am I wrong?" Amethyst pointed  
"Listen, Lapis really needs to feel safe now, she has to have us by her side, or she'll be alone. She needs us, and she needs me, I said yes 'cause it seemed to be very important to her"  
"So you told her yes only for her to shut the fuck up?"  
"No, that's not it. She really thought this was necessary, so..."  
"So you sacrificed yourself and accepted to be the girlfriend of the girl you've been in love for months? How brave! I don't know how you stand the pressure!"  
"I said yes 'cause she looked desperate, I wanna help her regain her confidence in herself"  
"So are you using her, or are you letting her use you?" Garnet asked "What does this mean? It's only temporary? Don't you really love her?"  
"I really love her" Pearl replied, looking sideways at Peri  
"It's not hard to understand, G" Amethyst said "Pearl has loved Lapis for a long time. Lapis asked her to be her girlfriend, as illogical as it sounds, and Pearlie wasn't gonna miss the opportunity to fuck the girl of her dreams. And now she hides everything behind a wall of _'I'm doing it for her'_ and blah blah blah. Am I right?"  
"No. I really want to help her. And yes, I love her. So please, stop seeing her as your enemy and see her as my girlfriend. You shouldn't be rude to your friend's girlfriend."  
"But it turns out that my friend's girlfriend is a fucking moron. Pearl, she's a bad person"  
"It's not true" Garnet said  
"What did you said?"  
"Lapis is not a bad person. She's influential, restless, impulsive and she talks like a trucker, but she has never been a bad person"  
"Oh, no?"  
"No. I don't pretend to justify her completely but we know that she was being controlled by Jasper. You more than anyone else know how persuasive your cousin is, and Lapis was always kind to us from the beginning although she didn't know us, and don't make me talk about what she's capable of to do for the people who care"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, I remind you that she didn't get the scar under her eye in a chess game"  
Peridot felt a knot in her throat as she remembered the sound of Lapis' face hitting the locker door, and the blood everywhere...  
"I made her promise that she wouldn't get into any more fights, and she said 'and if they're bothering you?' " Pearl commented "You see what I mean? She worried about not being able to defend me for not breaking a promise, it was like, 'Hey! Why can't I fight for you?' She's a good girl, Ame"  
"So... What do you think she does if I provoke her? Will she hit me?" Amethyst  
"No. She promised me that she wouldn't do it. She doesn't break her promises"  
"Soooo... In theory I could hit her a couple of times?"  
"Don't do it"  
"Pearl, I just wanna tell you to clarify for yourself why you said yes" Garnet said "If you say you love her, that's great. But if you only did it to please her, that's going to hurt her a lot. And you'll hurt yourself too"  
Deep down, Peri wished they were only being used for each other. Her mind didn't process that Lapis could be romantic with someone else.  
"I know that everything was very strange, but I love her. And because I love her I hope I can help her, and that you guys help me"  
"Peri?" Amethyst asked "Are you okay with all this?"  
"Of course" she hurriedly said "Lapis doesn't matter to me anymore, but it doesn't mean I want bad things to happen to her"  
"Ugh well. I guess I'll give the bitch a chance... but hey, I wanna provoke her to see if it's true that she doesn't break her promises"  
"Don't do it!"  
"Hey Pearl" Peri said, realizing something. "If you're so sure she won't break her promise, how'll she defend herself if Jasper is doing something bad to her?"  
For all answer, Pearl got up, worried, and left the cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember: Your comments are inspiration for me  
> Thank you guys!


	30. Too Much Love Will Kill You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Too much love will kill you_   
>  _If you can't make up your mind_   
>  _Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind_   
>  _You're headed for disaster 'cos you never read the signs_

Lapis came out of the cafeteria, and she could almost feel Jasper's footsteps behind her.  
Why had she said yes? To end this once and for all. She needed to get rid of Jasper, not just ignore her and pretend nothing happened. And the sooner the better, 'cause she really didn't want to be near Jasper. Logically now she felt an absolute rejection of her.  
She reached the hall, and only then did she turn around to face Jasper. Fuck, she looked angry.  
"If what you want is for me to forgive you for what you did..." Lapis began  
"I don't care if you forgive me or not" Jasper admitted.  
"So? You wanna ask me to hang out or something?"  
"I wouldn't hang out with you even if they paid me. You're completely crazy. No, I wanna ask you something"  
"What?"  
"Did you tell someone?"  
"About what?"  
Jasper looked at her meaningfully. Lapis felt a chill.  
"No" Lapis answered "Nobody"  
"Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure, but I'm gonna do it"  
"No! Are you kidding? You'll get me in trouble!"  
"Are YOU kidding? You tried to rape me"  
"But I didn't. And come on, I was drunk"  
"Well, fuck you"  
"Wait! I propose a deal"  
"You've nothing you can offer me"  
"If you don't tell anyone, I'll leave you alone. You won't see me near you or your dumb girlfriend"  
Lapis stared at her for a few seconds.  
"You also broke my fucking nose. You'll also get in trouble" Jasper said  
"I did it in self-defense"  
"You have no proof, and everyone knows what you are capable of"  
"Liar"  
"I'll just leave you alone, I promise" Jasper insisted.  
"Okay" Lapis said at last.  
"Great! Did you really think I would wanna hang out with you again?"  
"I hoped not, you're not exactly a great company"  
"You neither. This whole asexuality thing... Ugh, that's not even real"  
"Of course it's real! I'm asexual, accept it"  
"Why can't you just say you're afraid to lose your virginity?"  
"You're a fucking asshole"  
"And you're a boring slut"  
"You don't kiss well"  
"Your laugh's stupid"  
"What?"  
"You make that silly noise when you laugh. That's annoying and stupid"  
"Your muscles aren't that big"  
"You look like a gay guy with that haircut"  
"Fuck you"  
Jasper giggled. Lapis felt her face flush and ran her hand through her hair.  
"Well, I'll be very happy to get rid of you, have we got a deal?" Jasper asked  
"Yes, we've got a deal," said Lapis  
"Last kiss?"  
"Of course not!"  
"Fine, but don't come back to me"  
"Are you kidding?"  
"No. You can play for a while with your new girlfriend, but let's see how much time she endures you"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You like to control people, but you also like to be controlled. That's why you didn't get away from me"  
"It's not true. I hate you, and what we had wasn't healthy at all"  
"Then I think you're a masochist, right? You manipulate people and lie. You hurt people, that's why no one can stand a lot of time with you."  
"It's not true..."  
Jasper raised an eyebrow and smiled. Lapis couldn't help thinking that she was right. She was horrible, hurt the people she loved... Disappointed everyone, and the only reason Jasper could stand her was because she treated her equally badly, so things were fair. Maybe she didn't deserve anyone's love...  
No! She wasn't like that anymore! That's why she was trying to improve, and to correct her mistakes. She wasn't going to agree with Jasper anymore.  
At that moment, Pearl appeared next to Lapis, somewhat hurriedly, and said "Five minutes. Time is over"  
"Don't worry, we were finished talking" Lapis said, looking at Jasper  
"I heard you two are dating. Congratulations, Pearlie" Jasper said, smiling sarcastically and walking away "Good luck with Lapis, you'll need it"  
Lapis frowned and saw Jasper disappear as she turned the hallway.  
"Are you okay? What happened?" Pearl asked  
"Nothing, we just wanted to make it clear that we didn't wanna see each other again" Lapis replied  
"And what happened so that you finally decided to do that?"  
Lapis opened her mouth to answer, but the words didn't come out inmediatly. Pearl smiled at her and said "I know you didn't wanna talk about it, but it doesn't do you any good to keep it in. I know it must have been a bad thing because of how you acted when you saw Jasper, but..."  
"She tried to rape me"  
"What?"  
They looked at each other in silence for a couple of seconds. Pearl looked around and said "And you haven't told anyone?!"  
Lapis shook her head. Pearl bit her lip and insisted "Why not? Lapis, this is serious!"  
"It doesn't have to be" she murmured "I just wanna forget it. Nothing happened, and she promised to leave me alone, so let's leave it like that"  
"Your mom should know"  
"No! That's a terrible plan. That does not matter! Listen, nothing happened to me, Jasper won't bother anymore, forget it and keep the secret, please"  
"Are you crazy?"  
"C'mon baby, trust me. This is just a bad memory. I'm fine"  
Pearl looked at her, shaking her head. Lapis began to play with her hair and smiled, saying "C'mon, say you'll keep the secret"  
The pale girl didn't look at all convinced. In fact, she had that expression of being about to scold her.  
"I promise I'm fine with this. I won't see Jasper anymore and it's over. Trust me" Lapis insisted.  
"All right" Pearl agreed at last "But if I notice you're not okay, I'll have to tell someone"  
"It seems fair to me. Hug?"  
Pearl smiled and shook her head, but still held her close. Lapis felt very short next to Pearl, even though the girl was only a couple of inches taller.  
"Lapis?"  
"Yes?"  
"I just told the girls about us"  
"Really? That's cool"  
"So Peridot already knows"  
Lapis separated from her, trying to interpret the expression on her face, but as she couldn't, she ask "And what did she say?"  
"She congratulated me. Actually she said she didn't care"  
"Thank godness!"  
Lapis sighed in relief. She worried a little that Peridot felt hurt. She didn't expect her to be jealous or something, 'cause she knew that wouldn't happen. She just didn't want her to feel attacked or something. But if she didn't care, it was fine. Things were clear and no one would be hurt.  
"Are you okay with this?" Pearl asked  
"Yes, of course" Lapis responded "Why?"  
"I don't know, maybe it all might seem strange if you two are close"  
"Oh, no. Don't worry, if she says there's no problem on her part, there's no problem with mine either"  
"Oka. By the way, I apologize for Amethyst's attitude, she behaved very badly to you"  
"Ah, that's okay! That really worked out for me! I really expected her to punch me in the face or something, so I'm not complaining"  
"Talking about that, if Amethyst tries to provoke a fight, just ignore her"  
"You don't have to say it, I promised you no more fights"  
"But if she tries to hit you..."  
"Then I'll do this" Lapis protected her face with her arms, like the boxers "And I'll try to withstand the blows"  
"You know, you can strike some blows to defend yourself"  
"Nope, no blows. I don't like half-hearted promises, and I won't give anyone reasons to hit me"  
"Great, but I want you to know that it's not about letting them take advantage of you either"  
"Don't worry, I'm not an idiot. I've been through that, and it really sucks"  
"Okay. Dear god, I thought Jasper was gonna kill you before I could get here"  
"Yeah, me too... But I think I don't have to worry about her anymore"  
"I hope so. Do you want us to come back with the girls?"  
"Actually I'm not hungry anymore... And I don't wanna continue listening to Amethyst"  
"Do you want us to go out?"  
"That would be great, so more people will see us together and everyone will know and they won't flirt with me anymore"  
They started to walk towards the outside. Lapis wanted everyone to know about her relationship with Pearl. That made her very happy, and she wanted every person in the school to know about her happiness.  
"I doubt that works like that" Pearl commented "It's proven that when you're in a relationship, you become more interesting to other people"  
"Does that mean I'll have to put up with the fact that some bitch flirted with my girlfriend?" Lapis asked. There were many students outside, and suddenly the girls seemed a threat to her.  
"It doesn't feel good, huh?"  
"They're lucky that I've renounced violence"  
"And I'm the jealous one..."  
"I can't help it. You have all the qualities you can want in a person, I'm not gonna let someone believe that they can take you away from me"  
Pearl giggled and took Lapis' hand, saying "I love how you wanna look like the serious girl who doesn't care about anything, but in fact you're the most corny girl in the world"  
"I'm not!"  
"Yes you are! I've never met someone more corny than you"  
"Well... _the only explanation I can find is the love that I've found ever since you've been around_ "  
"You like the Carpenters, that's corny"  
"I just know the song 'cause I saw Dark Shadows, but if you listen to them regularly, you're more corny than me"  
Pearl giggled. They sat on a bench near the basketball court. Lapis took both Pearl's hands and said "Thanks"  
"Why?" she asked  
The brown-haired girl shrugged. Pearl touched her face lovingly and kissed her on the lips very slowly. The boys who were playing basketball began to whistle. Lapis laughed and said "I hope they're gonna spread the rumor"

* * *

The first week of her new life was very rewarding. She felt different, like everything was going to be very good for her. She had that feeling that her life could only improve and improve. She felt that strange tranquility of knowing that she was doing a lot to improve her grades, that she was doing very well in fixing her relationship with her mother and aunt, and that she and Pearl were going through many beautiful things.  
Specially that. After the separation with Peri and all the Jasper's thing, Lapis felt that she had forgotten what it was like to feel so much love for someone, at least until now. She felt silly for not realizing before how much she loved Pearl. Pearl was giving her too much. Not just affection stuff like hugs and kisses. Pearl was helping her study, giving her advice to fix things with people she had hurt, and helping her to regain her self-confidence, as she now realized that Jasper had really managed to lower her self-esteem. Pearl was making her feel important again. Lapis was proud when someone said "You two look very good together." It had been just five days and they were already the favorite couple at school. Except, of course, by some people who still had a crush in one of them two. So yes, the week was as good as the first day. Well, the only thing that wasn't the same was that by Tuesday Lapis had again used flannels and ripped jeans and her hair was a mess again. That "dress appropriately" thing was something she wasn't going to get used to.  
Friday's classes were over at last, and Lapis was very excited to spend the weekend with her girlfriend. Even though they spent most of their time together, she felt it wasn't enough. It was impossible to get tired of being with Pearl, and she knew that the feeling was mutual.  
"Can you help me with this?" Peridot asked, with her huge book in her hands  
"Sure" Lapis said and pointed to the highest part of the locker "I have to put it right there, right?"  
"Yes, please"  
Lapis took the book and put it in the place Peridot indicated.  
"Thank you" Peridot said  
"Why don't you ask your mom to change your locker?" Lapis proposed, rearranging her own things  
"Do you think I haven't tried?"  
"And you told aunt Bianca?"  
"I don't really get along with her like you"  
"Really? But she's very nice"  
"Yes, I know, it's just... It gives me some embarrassment. We're not so close "  
"I can do it for you if you want"  
"No. I'm fine, thanks"  
Lapis shrugged. Maybe she would do it anyway, because at least now she was there to help, but Peri used to have a hard time with her locker.  
"Hey Lapis" Pearl said, coming to her side  
"Hey pretty girl" Lapis responded, giving her a kiss on the lips  
"Will we start with the pet names? Whatever, I kept your history book by mistake" Pearl said, giving her the book "Oh, hi Peri"  
Peridot waved and continued on her own. Lapis took the book and put it inside her locker.  
"Thanks. So... what time do you want us to meet today?"  
"Well, we have to take Steven to his medical checkup, but I think I'll be free at 5"  
"Okay, so you want me to go to your house to pick you up?"  
"Sure, and then we can go to Funland"  
"Great! I can't wait"  
"Then I'll see you later. Greg must be waiting for me"  
"Yes, of course. See you later"  
Pearl kissed her, but Lapis didn't let her go so fast. She extended the kiss a little before finally letting her go.  
"See you later, honey bun"  
"That one is nice. I love you, cutie pie"  
"I love you, sweetheart"  
Lapis gave her a quick kiss. Pearl smiled and waved goodbye before finally leaving. Lapis didn't stop seeing her until she disappeared.  
"Dear god! That was so dumb!" Peridot exclaimed  
Lapis raised an eyebrow and said "Sorry for making you uncomfortable"  
"Unconfortable? Oh no, I mean, who doesn't like to see two clods doing the ridiculous? "  
The brown-haired girl stared at her and asked "What's your problem?"  
"I have no problem" Peridot said, closing her locker  
"Well, it looks like you have one"  
"Fine! Do you want to know what my problem is? It doesn't seem fair that you're playing like that with Pearl's feelings just to make me jealous!"  
Lapis looked at her without understanding, but then giggled and said "Oh my god, are you serious? Do you think I'm doing this to make you jealous?"  
"Is not that so? All this _'oh my pretty girl'_ thing and the kisses in front of everybody and all that... it's very low even for you"  
"What are you talkin' about? I'm not doing this for you! I'm really in love with her!"  
"No, you're not. You're just liying, and I feel bad for Pearl"  
"You have no idea what you are talkin' about"  
Peridot didn't respond. But what the fuck was going on now?  
"Who do you think you're fooling?" Peridot said at last "You suddenly cut your hair, smile and appear trying to look like a good girl. Then it turns out that you are kind to everyone and now you have a girlfriend. How sudden everything was, right?"  
"I just try to do what's best for me"  
"And why does that include playing with Pearl's feelings?"  
"Wait a minute... Actually you are jealous, isn't?"  
"No!"  
"It seems that yes, you are"  
"Why would I be jealous?"  
Lapis began to feel very bad. This was exactly what she had tried to avoid.  
"Listen... We broke up a long time ago" Lapis said "You made it very clear to me that you didn't want anything with me anymore. I don't know why you care now if I'm dating someone else"  
"I don't care"  
"So what's up? Did you think I was gonna be begging you all my life?"  
"I told you I don't care!"  
"Well, I do care! I care 'cause you sent me to hell and now you dare to claim me?"  
"And you dare to kiss another girl right in my face every day? And not just any girl, but one that _'oh no, she's just my friend'_. Well fuck you"  
"Holy crap! You're really jealous!"  
"Is that what you wanna hear? All right! Yeah, I'm jealous!"  
Lapis felt a lump in her throat. Peridot looked very, very angry.  
"I begged you! I begged you to listen to me and give me a chance!" Lapis exclaimed, and she felt a pair of warm tears roll down her cheeks "And you avoided me and spoke ill of me. I made sure you didn't want anything anymore, you made it clear to me. It's not like we broke up one day and the next I was already dating someone else! You know how much it cost me to get over you "  
"Oh, not much. You didn't last a week to start dating Jasper, you liar. You're such a goddammit attention whore!"  
Lapis sat on the bench across the hallway and covered her face with her hands. She hated herself for being so sensitive and crying so quickly for any idiocy.  
"It's not fair" Lapis said quietly.  
"What?" Peridot said  
Lapis shook her head and looked at the blonde again.  
"It's not fair that you wanna make me feel bad"  
Peridot bit her lip. Lapis shook her head and continued "It's not fair that you dare to claim me now. You... you were the one who broke up with me! You broke my heart! You fucking break my heart more than once. And now that I've get over it... you wanna make me feel bad?"  
Peridot looked at her, surprised. Lapis wiped her tears with her sleeve and said "I didn't want things to end badly. I wanted to be with you and you just broke my heart"  
"I broke your heart? You lied to me!"  
"Cause I didn't want us to broke up!"  
Lapis covered her face again with her hands. That was. That was something she needed to say.  
"I didn't want us to broke up" she repeated between sobs "Yes, we had a problem. But instead of talking about it, you just broke up with me"  
Peridot sat next to her. Lapis looked up and wiped back her tears.  
"You're not... You're not trying to make me jealous, right?" Peridot asked  
"No" Lapis said "No. I really love my girl "  
Peridot nodded. Lapis shook her head and said "I made sure you didn't want anything with me before dating someone else. You... you told me you didn't love me anymore. You told me you hated me "  
"And I hated you. But that only lasted... five minutes. No, I don't hate you. Do you still love me?"  
Lapis looked at her for several seconds, but in the end she shook her head. Peridot sighed and said "Thanks godness"  
"Yes, I know. We can't be more than friends anymore. Our relationship... It was nice and everything, but... it's part of the past now. I just wanna leave all that behind. And... and now that we really talk about it, we can be friends"  
"It's more complicated than that. It's just... I'm not gonna pretend that it doesn't hurt to see you with someone else. But I'm happy for you, really. After everything I did to you, I'm glad to see that you can move on. And I thought I had overcome it too, but now... I think I haven't done it"  
"And what can I do to help you?"  
"Nothing. Leave it to me. And really, I'm very happy for you"  
"Peri... do you still love me?"  
"I... No. It's been a while"  
Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit. Lapis knew her quite well. She knew when the blonde was lying, damn it.  
"Okay" she said "Then I..."  
"No, you don't have to be more discreet or something. She's your girlfriend now, you can shout to the world that you love her, you don't have to stop for me. I'll be fine"  
"Okay..."  
"Well... see you later. Mom should be waiting for me"  
"Sure. See you"  
Peridot got up, took her backpack and left.  
Fuck. And now what? Lapis hadn't the slightest idea how to feel. No, this didn't change things. It wasn't like she was going back to look for Peridot or something, that wasn't part of her plan. She loved Pearl, and she intended to be by her side for a long time. However now she worried about hurting Peridot. Cause hurt people wasn't part of her plan either. But deep down, she knew it was something she couldn't avoid. As things were, the only thing she could do to keep Peridot from feeling bad was not dating anyone else, and obviously she woudn't be able to come back with Peridot either. And that wasn't fair to Lapis.  
Well, as much as it hurt, she had to accept that she couldn't help everyone all the time. Peridot would have to solve it by herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peridot's confession didn't seem to change Lapis' mind. But it will change someone else's. Girls' problems are very complicated, huh?  
> I'll be very grateful for your comments! :'3 Thanks for reading!


	31. I'm A Loser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis:  
>  _Of all the love I have won, and have lost_  
>  _There is one love I should never have crossed_  
>  _She was a girl in a million my friend_  
>  _I should have known she would win in the end_  
>  Peridot:  
>  _What have I done to deserve such a fate?_  
>  _I realize I have left it too late_  
>  _And so it's true pride comes before a fall_  
>  _I'm telling you so that you won't lose all_

Peridot blew her nose with a tissue and buried her face in her pillow, which was already quite wet from so many tears.  
She never thought it would hurt so much to lose Lapis. She didn't know why it didn't hurt like that before. Why now? Why just when she thought she had forgotten her? She had even been sure that she didn't even like her anymore...  
Of course she knew why! 'Cause Lapis was once again the noble and kind girl she had fallen in love with. 'Cause she missed her radiant smile, her beautiful blue eyes, and even her rude way of speaking. 'Cause now it hurt her deeply to see her with someone else...  
She shouldn't feel that way. Lapis was happy, she was getting better... But it hurt her to see her with her new girlfriend. To think that it was she who was in Pearl's place, receiving Lapis' love, and now she would have to settle with a smile and a "Hey Peri".  
She felt very foolish for not having listened to Lapis, for not helping her find a way to stay together. She had distanced her and didn't want to realize that Lapis' intentions were good. She was so used to everyone hurting her, that it seemed logical that Lapis would have made fun of her. But now she realized that it wasn't true. And it was too late. Now Lapis was gone.  
Peridot felt so bad that even her chest ached, and she felt there was no way to be happy again. If that was how Lapis had felt, Peri really regretted having made her go through it. Now there was nothing left but to accept that she had made a mistake and let Lapis be happy with Pearl. And anyway, what could she do? Lapis was her cousin, they weren't going to let them be together.  
She lay on her side and hugged the alien plush that Lapis had won for her. She had left it for a long time abandoned in a corner of the room, but now Peri had put it back on her bed and went back to hug it. It still smelled of Lapis perfume...  
"Olive!" she heard her mother yell "You've been told a thousand times to come to dinner!"  
Peridot didn't respond. She didn't want to go up to dinner. She wasn't hungry, she didn't want to be seen crying, and she din't want Blaine to make fun of her. Since Monday, her sister had been making hurtful comments about Lapis not being single anymore. _"How fast did she get over you, right?" "Hey Peri, how do you let your friend fuck your ex?" "Do you think Lapis will invite her girlfriend to family dinners?"_  
"OLIVE!"  
Oh no. She heard the her mother steps down the stairs. When her mother came down to her room, it meant that something bad was going to happen. Peridot sat on the bed and wiped away her tears, still hugging the alien.  
"Are you deaf or what? I told you to come to dinner!" her mother exclaimed, reaching down  
"I'm not hungry" she answered quietly.  
"Are you crying?"  
Peridot shook her head. Her mother gave a snarl and approached the bed. She sat next to her and asked "What was this time?"  
"Nothing" Peridot replied, blushing.  
"Let me guess, they're bullied you at school again?"  
She didn't answer. She just hid her face in the alien's head.  
"I've told you a thousand times that you shouldn't relate to others, that's how you'll avoid being bullied. Olive, they'll never see you as one of them"  
The girl began to sob again. Not because of what her mother had said, but because she simply couldn't stop.  
"Who was bothering you?" Xanthe asked  
"Nobody, they don't bother me so much anymore" she replied between sobs  
"Then what's wrong?"  
The blonde continued crying. She just wanted to be left alone.  
"How do you expect me to do something for you if you don't tell me what the problem is?" her mother said brusquely  
"It's just that Lapis..."  
Peridot broke off as she realized what she had said. She looked at her mother and prepared for the scolding. She had forbidden her to be near Lapis, and she knew that she must obey.  
However, her mother didn't start yelling or frown. Instead, she seemed a little surprised.  
"Lapis?" she repeated  
Peridot felt her blood freeze. Oh, she was going to get into a lot of trouble...!  
"Was Lapis bothering you?" her mother wanted to know  
She didn't answer. She was so scared that she didn't dare open her mouth. She just kept sobbing.  
"Are you crying because of Lapis?" her mother insisted, in a softer voice.  
Peridot nodded slightly, surprised by the sudden change of attitude. And for the interest.  
"What did she do to you?"  
She shrugged. She wasn't going to tell the whole story, much less to her mother. But she was frankly surprised. Her mother rarely showed that interest in her.  
"All right" her mother said "Don't worry, I'll take care of this"  
Peridot was going to ask what she meant, when she hugged her. At first she didn't know what to do, but then she hugged her back awkwardly. Wow, that was unusual. But she didn't understand what she meant with "take care". If she hadn't said what had happened, how would she "take care"?  
"I'll send someone to bring you dinner" her mother said, letting her go "Don't worry about that girl anymore. And don't sleep late"  
Peri nodded. Her mother looked at her for a few seconds. She looked very happy. "You need new glasses, don't you?"  
"Yes"  
"Tomorrow I'll take you to optometrist"  
"Okay"  
Without saying more, Xanthe got up from the bed and left the room. Peridot stared at the stairs. That had been very weird! It was the first time that her mother had gone down to Peri's room without leaving her a bruise at least.

* * *

"... and she said no, but I know she was lying to me. Then she left and I was like 'whaaaaaat' " Lapis finished  
"Wow Lapis, that was..." Pearl started, but couldn't finish and instead asked "And how are you?"  
"Meh, this whole thing confused me a lot, but I'm fine"  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah"  
Lapis and Pearl were sitting in the beach sand, in front of Lapis' house. They had spent the afternoon together in Funland, and after that they had decided to go to the beach, but before they went to Lapis' house for her guitar. She had sung a couple of songs. She did it much better when she wasn't under the influence of alcohol. Then, they simply began to converse, with the sound of the waves breaking on shore. It wasn't long before dusk. The sky was orange, pink and red.  
"I feel a little bad for Peri" Lapis confessed, sighing "But you agree that it's not my fault, right? I mean... She didn't even want to look at me! How would I know that she missed me?"  
"It's definitely not your fault"  
Lapis noticed that her girlfriend had become a bit serious. Oh dear, had it been wrong to tell her that?  
"Is something wrong?" Lapis asked  
"You said you knew she was lying when you asked her if she still loved you. Well... you lied to her?"  
Lapis stared at her with a lump in her throat. Why did she ask her that? It hadn't been clear to her that she wanted to be with her? Had she given any sign to the contrary? She thought she was being a good girlfriend!  
She shook her head with a stunned expression on her face.  
"Listen Lapis, what you and Peridot had was very strong, it's not bad that you still feel something for her"  
"I don't understand" Lapis said "Have I made you feel like I don't love you enough?"  
"What? No! Is not that"  
"So what? Why everyone ask me if I wanna go back with her? It's wrong if I wanna go back with her, it's also wrong if I don't want to. It's confusing"  
"I'm sorry for said that, I didn't wanna hurt you! I know you love me, and you're being a good girlfriend, don't think I said it to blame you for something"  
"Look, it was really hard for me to forget about her. Sometimes I doubt I did it at all, but I wanna move on, and I wanna be with you, and above all, I wanna be someone who deserves you"  
Lapis no longer looked at Pearl. She was looking at the sand. This whole thing had confused her a lot. Would she have started dating Pearl if she had known Peridot's feelings? And had she known before, would she have tried to go back with Peridot, or would she have ignored her? There were many questions in her head, but there was one thing she was sure of: she wanted to be with Pearl. Maybe there were many people who doubted it, maybe even Pearl doubted it, but her feelings for her were sincere, and yes, it hurt that they didn't believe her.  
"I'm sorry for making you feel bad" Pearl said, hugging her "It wasn't my intention"  
"It's okay" Lapis said, giving her a kiss on the cheek "All this makes me think of a song"  
"Would you like to sing it to me?"  
Pearl let her go, but not before kissing her on the cheek. Lapis took her guitar and started " _If I fell in love with you, would you promise to be true and help me understand? Cause I've been in love before, and I found that love was more that just holding hands_ "  
The pale girl looked at her somewhat surprised from the start. Of course she knew the song, but maybe it's not the kind you expect to be dedicated to.  
" _If I give my heart to you I must be sure from the very start that you would love me more than her_ "  
Lapis felt her cheeks heat up. Was she being too direct?  
" _If I trust in you, oh please, don't run and hide... If I love you too, oh please, don't hurt my pride like her_ "  
She was making the song slower than it was, and the lump in her throat was getting bigger.  
" _Cause I couldn't stand the pain, and I would be sad if our new love was in vain_ "  
Pearl was staring at her. She seemed to feel bad.  
" _So I hope you see that I would love to love you..._ "  
She couldn't continue with the next verse. She stopped playing, put her guitar aside again and hugged her knees to her chest, hiding her face. She felt Pearl hug her again. Lapis felt like a fool.  
"I want everything to be simple" she murmured, without looking up "I wish I didn't care about what others think, that I don't care who I hurt or not, and be able to be with you without problems"  
"Hey love muffin, I wanna be with you, you're the purest person I know"  
"No, it's not true. I've been told that I'm a bad person more than once, but I'm trying to improve. I don't wanna disappoint you, and... And I don't wanna have a broken heart again"  
"You're not a bad person, you push yourself too hard to please everyone, but you have to forget about that. You need to understand... I need you to worry about yourself, and only for yourself for once. I want you to don't care what the girls think, or me, or your aunts, or even your mom. I want you to be happy  
Lapis nodded. Fuck, how many things would be different if it wasn't because she cared about what someone else would think?  
"So, take that sad song and make it better"  
Lapis giggled and hugged her girlfriend. Yes, she didn't care if Jasper had told her that she didn't deserve anyone's love, or if Amethyst didn't agree with she and Pearl were dating. That was her moment, and nobody was going to take it from her.  
And about Peri... Well, that wasn't her fault.

* * *

Lapis had spent the night thinking about what Pearl had said, about "I need you to worry about yourself for once". She wasn't quite sure what she meant by that. She never did much for others... Especially not the last few weeks, so... Well, sure she said it just to make it sound dramatic or something. But besides that, she thought about "You lied to her?"  
Lapis felt that she no longer loved Peridot, but she hadn't forgotten her completely either. Surely that's how those couples who had been together for years and then break up feels. It was a very difficult feeling to explain. The only thing she was sure of was that she wasn't going to do anything that hurt Pearl. She was her only sunshine in the darkness that had shadowed her life.  
But she wasn't going to ruin her weekend with all those confused thoughts. Finally her ankle had stopped hurting, so that Saturday morning she woke up very early, put on a tank top and shorts, said good morning to her mother and ran off to the ocean.  
It had been so long since she had swum for the last time that being in the water felt magical and almost unreal. The water was cold, but that helped to awaken her completely. She wondered how she had allowed herself to get away from the water for so long. It was like part of her, so now that she came back, it was like coming home.  
She spent a long time in the water, then go out and lie on the sand. It was less than noon, so the sun was nice. The sea breeze ruffled her hair, and the sound of the gulls combined with the sound of the waves was music to her ears.  
She was on the beach for almost two hours. By the time she decided to go home to eat something, her clothes and hair were already dry. Of course now her hair didn't take long to dry naturally. She remove the sand of her clothes as best she could so as not to leave a disaster at home, and walked to the door. She hoped her mom wouldn't realize she was barefoot.  
Lapis entered the house and closed the door. She was surprised to hear voices in the living room. She approached stealthily, although she couldn't fake for a long time, since he had done a lot of noise when opening and closing the door.  
"Let's see what she has to say" her mother said  
Lapis waited a couple of seconds to see if the other person responded, but as they didn't, Lapis made her appearance.  
Aunt Xanthe was standing. She looked very angry, as ever. Lapis felt intimidated, but she had no reason. She hadn't done anything wrong! Rigth...?  
"Lapis, come here please" her mother said softly  
"Hi" Lapis smiled, approaching slowly, trying to remember if she had broken a rule during the week. Breaking rules was a skill for her.  
Her aunt didn't respond. In fact, she pretended not to notice Lapis entering the place.  
"Could you tell us again what seems to be the problem?" Azura asked  
"The problem is that your little princess has been bullied Olive" Xanthe affirmed, crossing her arms  
"What?!" Lapis jumped, unable to believe what she had heard  
"I already told you what I know, Azura, are you going to do something to control your daughter or not?"  
"Lapis, is true what your aunt says?" Azura asked, putting her hand on Lapis' shoulder  
"No! I would never do something like that!" Lapis exclaimed. She felt very offended by the accusation after all she had done to defend Peri from the bullies.  
"There you go! Lapis is innocent"  
"Azura, please! It's obvious that she's gonna deny everything!"  
"Listen Xanthe, I know that Lapis can be a bit restless, but she would never be a bully. I know my daughter, I know she wouldn't be able to do something like that"  
"Open your eyes, Azura! You've been taking care of a little criminal all these years! I don't doubt that you've made a great effort, but some people are born being what they are, and this girl was born to cause problems!"  
Lapis heard the ghost of Agate's voice from many years ago _"Alex, sit down! You only cause problems! That's why no one wants to adopt you!"_ She came back to reality, but reality included aunt Xanthe's angry face.  
"I would appreciate it if you would stop talking about my daughter in that way" Azura replied. Lapis began to hear _that tone_ in her voice. The tone that indicates when Lapis should stop joking and start apologizing "She didn't do anything wrong. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding"  
"Are you sayin' that Olive is a liar?"  
"I'm saying that maybe she misinterpreted things"  
"Peri said I was bothering her?" Lapis asked, surprised.  
"I found her crying, and she told me it was your fault. This morning I asked her more details, and she says that you really have been making her have a bad time"  
"No! I haven't done anything! We haven't even talked much!"  
"Xanthe, please. Let me talk to Lapis so we can come up with a solution. But I assure you that things are not as you think" Azura intervened  
Aunt Xanthe shook her head, looked at Lapis and said "You're too patient with her. Maybe she'll fool you with that good-girl face, but I know she's a troublemaker. I hope you don't realize it too late"  
"Why do you care about me?" Lapis said "You should look at yourself! You're the one who hurts Peridot a lot! "  
"Lapis!" her mother scolded her  
"Are you trying to tell me that I don't know how to take care of my daughter?" Aunt Xanthe asked  
Lapis didn't answer anything. That was one of those situations in which even she realized that it was better to keep her mouth shut.  
"You'd better take charge, sis" Xanthe told Azura "And rest assured that Bianca will find out about this"  
That said, she left without waiting for them to say anything else. Lapis stared at the place where aunt Xanthe dissapeared. What the hell...?  
"Can you explain me what it was all about?" her mother asked, sitting on the sofa  
"I have no idea" Lapis replied, sitting next to her  
"You have no idea... Lapis, I thought you were gonna get away from Peridot"  
"I did it! More or less…"  
"Lapis..."  
"Well, it's that her friends are my friends too! I can't make them choose or something, right?. Yes, I've been close to her, but we don't really talk too much to each other"  
"So how do you explain that Xanthe appeared here accusing you of being a bully?"  
"I don't know! Yesterday I had an... interesting conversation. With Peridot "  
"Oh no…"  
"It's not what you think, I promise! To summarize, I told her that I had already overcome what happened between us, but... but I think she didn't"  
Her mother nodded slightly, thoughtfully.  
"I think that hurt her and made her cry" Lapis continued "But hey! That doesn't justify that she accused me of being a bully! That's what happened, I promise. I've been trying not to get too involved with her precisely to avoid something like this"  
"I believe you, calm down. But this is out of hands"  
"Peridot must be very upset with me. I mean.. she's playing her mother's game!"  
"I don't know, Xanthe usually exaggerates things. She would love to have an excuse to point out that you're not a good daughter"  
Lapis sighed and looked at the floor, grimacing. After a little silence, she dared to say in a low voice "Why she doesn't likes me? I haven't done anything wrong, and I think I've been good when I'm in front of her"  
"It's not your fault, honey. Xanthe never agreed with me to adopt you"  
"But why not? She has been hating me for almost 9 years without reason"  
"I don't think she hates you. Look, it's just... I don't know. She hasn't always been... so grumpy. She and I were best friends, we did everything together, we told each other everything. She started to get this way when Blaine's father left her, and even more when she realized that Peri... well, you know"  
"I understand, but what does that have to do with me?"  
"I'm not sure. I think it's because we were pregnant at the same time. Another thing we shared. And for that reason, she loved Sky. And even more after seeing that Blaine and Sky got along very well, it was like seeing ourselves when we were little girls. So, I guess... "  
"I'm Sky's replacement, and that didn't seem right to her"  
"I guess that's what she thinks. But you shouldn't believe for a moment that you're a replacement, you understand? You're part of this family, it doesn't matter what Xanthe tells you. And you know what? I've had enough of her attitude"  
Lapis said nothing. She had never felt like a replacement until they moved there. Actually, many bad things were happening to her since they moved.  
"Lapis?"  
"Yes?"  
"I love you"  
"I love you too, mommy"  
Her mother hugged her by the shoulders and kissed her on the temple. She tried to repeat herself what Pearl had said, that she didn't have to please others. If Aunt Xanthe didn't like her, what's the matter? Her mother love her, and that was the most important thing. Also, she didn't feel exactly sad. She was kinda upset about what Peridot did. Okay, she didn't know if she had, but she believed it was true.  
"And don't worry" her mother said "Bianca will never believe that story. And even if it goes against what I just told you, maybe you should ask Peridot how things happened. It would help to know if Xanthe is exaggerating everything as always"  
"I'll ask her, if she wants to talk to me"  
"Oh just one more thing"  
"Yes?"  
"I’ve told you a thousand times that if you leave the house you must wear shoes!"  
Lapis laughed, while her mother ruffled her hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for your comments guys :'3 They give me inspiration to continue with this story.  
> Thanks for reading, see you next week! :D


	32. Don't Bother Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I know I'll never be the same_   
>  _If I don't get her back again_   
>  _Because I know she'll always be_   
>  _The only girl for me_
> 
>  
> 
> But hey! Anyway, there are some things that could be improved for Peridot

Although things could have gone much worse, they could also go much better. Lapis spent the weekend wondering why Peridot lied to harm her, and in the end she came to the conclusion she had already expressed to her mother: Peri was angry at what Lapis had told her.  
The brown-haired girl remained firm in her position of not giving in to Peridot's revelation. She wasn't interested anymore. Oh, but if she wasn't interested, why did this hurt her pride so much?  
Peridot was the only thing that went through her mind during the weekend, sometimes it was positive thoughts, sometimes negative, but it was always about the blonde girl.  
And in case she hadn't had enough of the little nerd, Lapis arrived at school on Monday, determined not to give more importance to Peridot, when aunt Bianca sent her to her office.  
Of course, Aunt Xanthe hadn't been left wanting to tell her sister about Saturday's business. Bianca questioned Lapis about what happened, to which the girl answered again and again that she didn't bother her cousin. Lapis didn't understand anything. Why did aunt Bianca suddenly worry about Peri? Why didn't she do anything before with Aquamarine or the rest of those bullies who bothered her? Or rather was she worried that Lapis had a bad reputation? Either way, Lapis had to convince her that she wasn't doing anything wrong, and she swore to her aunt a thousand times that she wasn't going to be a bad girl again.  
Lapis was upset about the whole thing, so it was a relief for her to be able to leave her aunt's office. What surprised her was seeing Aquamarine sitting outside.  
"What are you doin' here?" Lapis asked  
"The usual. They sent me with your mom to bother a stupid boy" she answered  
"I told you she's not my mother, she's my aunt, my mom is..."  
"I know, idiot"  
Aunt Bianca left the office and told her secretary "I'll be back in a few moments Aquamarine, don't move from here"  
"Sure" the blue-haired girl said  
"Lapis, go to class"  
"I don't have class now, this was my time for training" Lapis replied  
"Then go somewhere else, c'mon"  
Without saying more, she went. Oh, sure she was in a hurry.  
"Let me guess, your aunt thinks I'm a bad influence for her princess"  
"You're a bad influence, and you know it" Lapis said  
"Yes, maybe you're right"  
Lapis sat next to Aquamarine. She had nowhere else to go anyway.  
"Why are you so mean?" Lapis said  
"I'm not mean to you anymore, princess"  
"No, but... The others?"  
"Okay, I'll tell you. After I stole your clothes from the locker, your aunt told me that if I bothered you again, she was going to expel me, okay?"  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yes. Actually, it's totally dumb"  
"It's unfair! I mean... You're very bad with a lot of people and she threatened you until you bothered me?"  
"It's logical, it's your aunt"  
"But she's also Peri's aunt and she didn't do anything for her..."  
"I told you, nobody cares about Peridot. Nor about you, 'cause you even have a new girlfriend and everything"  
Lapis didn't respond. She didn't want to talk about that anymore. Then she said "You should stop being a shitty person and treat everyone well and not just me"  
"Yeah... I don't think so. Besides, you're not so bad, you're even a little bit nice"  
"Should I take that as a compliment?"  
"Yes. What were you doing in there anyway?"  
"Peridot told her mother that I was bothering her"  
Aquamarine let out a laugh before saying "That's bullshit"  
"I know, after what I did for her..."  
"And what did you do?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"You haven't said anything to her?"  
"Nope..."  
"That's the problem with people who always wanna do the right thing! If something bothers you, you just stay quiet!"  
"What am I supposed to do?"  
"Go with her and say _'What's fucking wrong with you?'_ Let her know that this is bullshit, you have the right to be angry! "  
"That will only make everything worse"  
"Listen, Peridot is jealous of your girlfriend, now she'll only wants to harm you. If you don't stop her, she'll do worse"  
"Do you think so?"  
"Of course"  
Lapis looked at the floor. Could it be that Aquamarine was right and Peridot was trying to hurt her as revenge? She didn't believe it, but... C'mon. She had to ask Peridot if she had done it or not. Lapis wanted everything to be an aunt Xanthe's lie.  
"I'm gonna talk to her" she announced  
"Great" Aquamarine said, not very interested. "And thanks for stopping copying my look"  
"Blue hair looked better on me"  
"That's what you want"  
Lapis got up and waved goodbye, thinking that in previous months she needed to have been crazy to take Aquamarine's advice.

* * *

Lapis was sitting on the bench in the hallway, reading her history book to study a little and waiting for it to be time for recess. She needed to talk to Peridot as soon as possible, so she didn't want to wait until she saw her in the cafeteria.  
She didn't have to wait long after the bell rang. Barely a couple of minutes passed when she saw Peri appear. She was grumbling something, and Lapis couldn't help but notice that she was wearing new glasses. They were still round and big for her, but at least they weren't broken anymore.  
"Hey" Lapis said, closing her book and standing up.  
"Hello, Lapis" she answered, looking at her out of the corner of her eye before opening her locker "Didn't it seem crazy to you that they left us so many math exercises? Even I know that's an abuse"  
"Why did you tell your mom that I was bothering you?"  
"Uh?"  
"Your mom went to my house and told my mom that you said I was bothering you, then she told Aunt Bianca"  
Peridot shrugged, shook her head and said "I don't know"  
"Your don't know?" Lapis repeated, with a fake giggle  
"Ok, you're right. Mama asked me if I was crying because of you and I said yes, okay?"  
"No, that's not okay! Did you tell her something else?"  
"She asked me if you had been bothering me and I said yes"  
"Why?! I haven't done anything to you!"  
"Mom looked very happy, so I played her game"  
"Are you kidding? Of course she looked happy! You know she hates me! She loved knowing a bad thing about me to tell everyone how horrible I am!"  
"I don't think it was that bad, you're exaggerating"  
"You made me look like a very bad person! I wouldn't be able to bother you! You know what your mom thinks about me and you just supported her ideas"  
"Well, sorry. She looked happy and treated me very well, it was nice that for a change mom showed me that she loves me even if it's a little bit... You wouldn't understand, 'cause Aunt Azura gives you everything you want, isn't it?"  
Lapis said nothing, just stared at her. Peridot had turned very red and her eyes were watery. However, Lapis couldn't recant the aforementioned either. She steeled herself and continued "Didn't you stop to think you were gonna hurt me if you did that?"  
"Hurt you?"  
"Yes, after all I did for you so they wouldn't bother you anymore, you accused me of being a bully! That hurt me!"  
"You know, I didn't ask you to do anything for me! You appeared wanting to be the hero!"  
"I did it because it was the right thing to do!"  
"Look, I don't care if my mom or aunt Bianca scolded you. Everybody loves you again, I'm sure your ego can withstand a little scolding. Leave me alone"  
"Why are you do this to me? I didn't do anything to you! I thought everything was fine!"  
"Leave me alone!"  
Lapis was going to respond, but Amethyst appeared in the hallway, saying "Carajo! Why are you two always fighting? Can you two to be normal ex and hating each other in silence?"  
Lapis tried to calm down. She took a deep breath and looked at the Mexican girl.  
"Is she bothering you?" Amethyst asked to Peridot  
"What? Of course I'm not..." Lapis began to say  
"Yes" Peridot interrupted "She's bothering me"  
"Hey, why don't you go with Pearl? I'm sure she misses you, since you two are fukin' joined at the hip" Amethyst said  
"This shit is so wrong, you know it Peri" Lapis said, and left.  
Yes, she was even more upset than before. It wasn't fair that Peridot acted like this! Well, maybe it was'ot that bad, but why did she have to accuse her of that precisely? Maybe now she should take seriously the matter of not talking to her anymore. If aunt Xanthe didn't see them together, she would have no reason to continue accusing Lapis of being a bully. She hadn't wanted to get to that, but it wasn't her fault. She was trying to clear her name, and Peridot was just messing it up.  
Well, that's the way things were going to be now. She had really tried to get along with Peridot, but it was she who left her no choice but to continue as before, ignoring and pretending that the other didn't exist. It was the best, and she wasn't going to keep worrying about getting along with her. If she didn't want her around, it was her problem.  
"Hey" Lapis said, seeing Pearl on the other side of the hallway  
"Hey, cutie" Pearl replied, walking a little faster  
Lapis felt very well for the first time that day, seeing her girlfriend's smile, and how she was arranging her hair behind her ear. Lapis hugged her and kissed her.  
"Are you okay?" Pearl asked, combing Lapis' hair with her fingers  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why you say that? I'm fine" Lapis said, trying to sound calm.  
Pearl smiled and shook her head. Then she kissed Lapis on the forehead and insisted "Are you gonna tell me what happened?"  
"You know me very well, right?"  
"Yep"  
"We'd better find a place to sit down. This will be a long story"

* * *

**POV Peridot**  
Lapis did know how to ruin her day. Okay, okay, maybe she had made a mistake in lying to her mother, but c'mon, Lapis was exaggerating. What did it matter if she had been scolded once or twice? After all, she was used to getting into trouble, and surely aunt Azura wasn't going to let the problem grow, so what what's wrong?  
Although she did feel a little guilty when she saw how was Lapis at the end of their little discussion. She was angry, yes, but she also looked a bit... disappointed. Well, maybe that's the way she would stop talking to her at last. Peridot had really tried to talk to her again and be her friend, but she couldn't. She felt something else for Lapis, and it wasn't convenient to have her around. It was better to forget her, and get away from her so as not to be tempted to say or do something wrong. Lapis was fine with Pearl, and Peridot had to respect that.  
"Time to go" her mother said, leaving her office  
Peridot, who had been waiting for her sitting outside, took her backpack from the floor and stood up. Then she walked behind her, as always, but this time her mother waited for her, so that the girl walked beside her.  
"How was your day?" her mother asked  
"It was good" Peridot replied, somewhat surprised by the interest  
"Are you sure? Agate told me she saw that Lapis was with you in the hallway"  
"Is Agate following me?"  
"No, of course not. I only asked her to take care of you from time to time "  
"Oh, okay. And Lapis only asked me what I had told you and that "  
"It's typical of a person like her, don't you think? She wants to know how many problems she'll get into... But Azura doesn't want to open her eyes to see the kind of daughter she has..."  
Peri felt a little bad. Lapis wasn't so bad... She was irritating at times, but she wasn't bad...  
Shit, she wasn't bad, and she had told her she was.  
They went out to the parking lot, and were already heading to their Volvo, when Peri heard a male voice exclaim "Xanthe!"  
Peri and her mother turned, as a man got up from one of the benches. He must have been about forty years old, dressed formally, had light brown hair, beard and mustache, and green eyes behind thick glasses.  
"Can I help you?" Xanthe asked, with a look of surprise at having the stranger in front of her  
"It's me! Adrien!"  
Peri looked at his mother, and then at the man. In the end, her mother seemed even more surprised than before and said "Adrien! Sure, what are you doing here?"  
"They sent me from work to do some repairs in a laboratory around here"  
"Oh, wow. What kind of repairs exactly? "  
"I must repair a NMR spectrometer"  
"Really? Woah! There are very few technicians for that kind of instrument!" Peridot exclaimed, amazed  
Her mother gave her a shut-the-fuck-up look. Peridot felt somewhat embarrassed. Normally she didn't speak to strangers, but she was in front of a genius! The man looked at her and said, with a smile "Yes, it wasn't easy to get here, little girl"  
"Anyway, what do you want from me, Adrien?" Xanthe Interrupted  
"Well... I wanted to see you" Adrien replied "I haven't known anything about you for a long time. Since I arrived in the city, it occurred to me to come visit you and... I don't know, if you want to... "  
"Honey, why don't you go find Blaine?" Xanthe told Peridot  
"Sure" she answered, and started walking.  
Everything would have been normal if it hadn't been 'cause she heard a "Wait, she's not Blaine? Do you have another daughter?"  
Peridot felt strange. Especially because she had dared to speak to a strange man... And why did he know her mother?  
She kept walking around the perimeter of the school until she saw Blaine in the front door with her friends. She tried to get her attention so she didn't have to get close, but in the end she had to, 'cause Blaine paid no attention.  
"Oh, look at that" Blaine said "What's wrong, retarded?"  
"M-m-mom... mom says it's time to go" Peridot stuttered. She hated feeling so intimidated by her sister's friends. The girls saw her with some displeasure.  
"O-o-okay P-P-Peri" Blaine said, imitating Peridot's stutter, which was greeted with laughter. "See you girls, I have to make sure my little sister doesn't get lost on the way to the car"  
Peridot turned around and walked back to the car, listening to the laughs of Blaine's friends.  
"Hey, they say you fought with Lapis today" Blaine told her, walking with her.  
"It's not true" she said curtly.  
"You can't get away from that jerk, huh? Just get over her, she won't love you again. I mean, Pearl is a dork too, but I guess compared to you... "  
"Shut up!"  
When they reached the parking lot, they saw that her mother seemed angry, and the man somewhat bewildered.  
"Who's that?" Blaine asked  
"I don't know, but he knows mom"  
In the end, Xanthe walked away and shouted at the girls "C'mon, we're in a hurry"  
They obeyed. After what seemed like a moment of hesitation, the man took a couple of quick steps towards Peridot and asked "Hey, little girl, what's your name?"  
"Peridot Olive" she replied, somewhat confused  
"Olive, get in the car!" her mother shouted  
"How old are you?" the man insisted  
"I'm...I'm sixteen"  
"OLIVE"  
Peri looked at the man, who apparently had been speechless, shrugged, and ran to the car. Her mother started the car almost immediately.  
"Who was that?" Blaine asked  
"Nobody important, only a madman" replied her mom  
Peridot thought she was right. What a strange man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^u^ thanks for your comments and for reading :3 y'all are great!


	33. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis discovers the secret

"I'm not gonna worry about this anymore. I mean, Peri was an asshole, but I'm not gonna say anything to her" Lapis said.  
"Great! But you've been saying that for three days now" Pearl replied with a mocking smile.  
"I know, but this time it's serious"  
Pearl sighed, rolling her eyes. Lapis took her hand and kissed her on the cheek before saying "Sorry, I know you're tired of hearing my complaints"  
"Don't worry, it was in the contract when I agreed to be your girlfriend"  
Lapis smiled. She and her girlfriend were at the entrance to the school. she was accompanying Pearl, who was waiting for the bus. Something had happened with the engine, so everyone was waiting for it to be repaired.  
"You can make me stop talking if you kiss me" Lapis suggested, with a smile that pretended to be innocent  
Pearl laughed, put her hand on Lapis' cheek and gave her a slow kiss.  
"You two make me sick" Amethyst said, giving Pearl a little push  
Lapis hugged Pearl by the shoulders, while Amethyst feigned retching.  
"When will it be my turn, Lapis?" Amethyst said "Or was it not your intention to date all the crystal gems?"  
"Amethyst, don't be rude" Pearl scolded her  
"What? It's a joke! I decided to give your girlfriend another chance"  
"Really?" Lapis said, smiling  
"Yes, why not? Besides, insulting you is not so much fun when you take it seriously, cunt face"  
"Thanks, I guess"  
"It's a joke! Hug me"  
Amethyst hugged her so hard that Lapis ran out of air. Pearl shrugged, smiling.  
"So we're friends again?" Lapis asked  
"I suppose so, as long as you don't do something stupid" Amethy said.  
Lapis smiled, and she would have continued to thank Amethyst's decision, when Garnet arrived with Peri. Lapis smile disappeared and looked away.  
"It's gonna take a long time to fix that thing" Garnet said, seeing all the students waiting for the bus "Mom can take you home in our car, if you want. Although she'll just arrive a little late today"  
"No, thanks" Amethyst replied "I have to get home with all the girls, it's the new rule"  
"Pearl?"  
"I think I'll accept. I can't believe this happens just the day when Greg didn't come to school"  
"I guess you wouldn't complain about his van now, eh?" Lapis said  
"I guess. Although I don't think it will be long before the van doesn't work either"  
"We can't all be Diamonds daughters, right?" Amethyst commented  
"It's not as great as it sounds" Peridot said through gritted teeth.  
Lapis knew that Peridot was also avoiding looking at her, and to tell the truth, it was much better that way. The mexican girl looked at both of them.  
"I don't know how you two handle all this tension between you" Ametysth pointed out, with a wry smile  
"Amethyst" Garnet murmured  
"I don't know either, but it's not like I can get rid of her" Peridot replied "I'm forced to see her every day"  
"Excuse me?" Lapis jumped  
"Woah, time out!" Pearl interjected, putting her hand on Lapis' shoulder. "We don't want trouble, remember, honey?"  
Lapis nodded. Damn, what the hell was wrong with Peridot? Why she treated her like that?  
In that moment, Lapis glimpsed among the crowd of students a bearded man who wore glasses. She probably wouldn't have seen him if it wasn't 'cause he was waving his hand and looking at them, as if to get their attention.  
"Are he looking at us?" Lapis asked  
Garnet, who had also noticed the man's signals, nodded slowly.  
"He's calling me" Peridot replied, taking a few steps over there  
"Dude..." Amethyst began, with a suspicious look  
But Peridot interrupted her with a "Trust me"  
After that, she moved towards where the man was. Lapis watched as he greeted her with a handshake and walked away a little from the crowd, perhaps to be able to talk.  
"What's happening?" Pearl asked  
"I have no idea, that man has been looking for Peri the last days" Amethyst explained  
"What?"  
"Yes. Peri accompanies us here, but since Tuesday that guy appears and calls her, they talk a little and he leaves"  
"Did you ask Peri what they're talkin' about?" Lapis inquired  
"Of course, but all she says is _'we talk about stuff'_ " Garnet answered  
"Stuff? What does she mean with that?"  
"We asked that, and she says they talk about nerdy stuff" Amethyst intervened, shrugging.  
"I don't think he wants to hurt her, it's just weird, don't you think?" Garnet commented "From what Peridot says, it's like suddenly a teacher invites you to talk about a subject or something"  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Pearl asked  
"When?" Amethyst laughed "You two are so busy kissing and telling each other cheesy things"  
Lapis was still looking at Peridot. She was talking very animatedly with the man, who really seemed to listen to her with much interest. Should she worry or...?  
"Check this out! It's the Lesbian Club" Aquamarine exclammed, stopping next to them. Topaz was going with her.  
"Do you wanna join?" Lapis asked  
"Ugh, no"  
"Hi, Topaz" Garnet greeted  
Topaz waved. Aquamarine gave Lapis a little push and said "Tell one of your moms to buy a new bus. Hey, they say they have so much money that it'll be like they buy a toy bus, right?"  
"I'm not really aware of family income, but I'll keep your suggestion in mind"  
"Excuse me, but since when you two don't hate each other?" Pearl asked, looking at Lapis and Aqua  
"Are you jealous?" Aquamarine scoffed "Don't worry, I don't have such bad tastes"  
"Hey!" Lapis exclaimed, then turned to Pearl and said "We haven't hated each other for a while now"  
"Now we are best friends!" Aquamarine said sarcastically  
"She's not joking at all" Lapis whispered to Pearl in her ear "She sent Topaz to protect me from Jasper"  
"What is this? We're not enough crystal gems?" Amethyst said  
"Oh no! We don't pretend to be part of the Lesbian Club, rigth Topaz?" Aquamarine exclaimed "We only wait for the bus with you because there's literally no other option"  
"And we don't wanna have school bully nearby, unless you're willing to change" Garnet commented, with a small smile  
"Blah blah blah, I'll just be here standing next to you, don't make a drama of this"  
Lapis smiled. Maybe Aquamarine was a good person after all. Very, very deep down. But seriously, very deep down. Yeah, she was a bully and had made life miserable for a while, but when she saw that things with Jasper were dangerous, she even tried to help by having Topaz watch her...  
The brown-haired girl looked at Peridot again. Then, she looked at Topaz, who was wearing big headphones and was looking at her cell phone, probably changing the song or something. Lapis didn't realize that she was watching her until she give her a hand the day when Blaine tried to humiliate her in the cafeteria...  
"Topaz, can we talk for a moment?" Lapis asked, speaking a little loudly.  
The girl nodded and took off her headphones.  
"What?!" Pearl and Aquamarine exclamed at the same time. Amethyst laughed.  
"Just a moment" Lapis said in response, and she and the tall girl walked away a little.  
"Tell me, what do you need?" Topaz asked. Lapis was still surprised to hear her sweet voice.  
"I would like to ask you a small favor... If you can, of course" Lapis began to say  
"What is it about?"  
"Well... I'll start by thanking you for watch over me me and helping me that time with Blaine and Jasper"  
"That was kinda creepy"  
"Just a little... Aquamarine asked you to do it?"  
Topaz shrugged. Lapis looked to where Peridot was and said "I need you to do something similar for me"  
"Something like that?"  
"You see Peridot over there? That man has been looking for her lately, and they talk about stuff. I would like to know what's that stuff"  
"I thought she wasn't your girlfriend anymore"  
"She's not, but I care"  
"And tell me, what does Pearl think about this?  
"D-don't tell Pearl. Listen, you're good for this, you're discreet. I'll pay you ten bucks for every day you do it. What do you think?"  
"Sure. I was gonna do it for free"  
"No, no way, I insist on paying you. I would really be reassured to know that Peri is not in danger "  
"It's funny, don't you think?"  
"What?"  
"When you have a connection with someone, it never really goes away, right?"  
Lapis blushed a little and her skin tingled, and goosebumps formed. She cleared her throat and said "I'll pay you at the end of this"  
"All right. I'll start tomorrow"  
Lapis nodded. The bus finally appeared. Topaz said nothing more and walked back with Aquamarine. Lapis also met with Pearl, still thinking about Topaz's words.  
"What happened?" Pearl asked  
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask her something" Lapis lied  
She still had goosebumps for some reason.

* * *

Lapis knew she was meddling too much. Especially if she had in mind that she had said she wasn't going to have anything to do with Peridot. But c'mon, all that was very strange. She knew that Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl were also worried that something bad might happen to Peri, but of course, they hadn't hired someone to watch over her.  
But all that meant nothing, nothing at all. Lapis wanted to be sure that this man wasn't going to hurt Peri, that was all. It wasn't that she cared or something.  
It had been several days since she hired Topaz. Lapis tried not to make it very noticeable that she was watching Peridot, so that the blonde wouldn't suspect that she was interfering in her affairs, so she continued doing the same as always, being with Pearl. And by the way, Pearl was the only one who knew that Lapis had made that deal with Topaz. She wasn't upset or anything, but she said that maybe Lapis should trust that Peridot could handle it by herself, and that, anyway, Garnet and Amethyst were more discreet when it came to watching Peri, and that they didn't interfere like Lapis. Lapis for her part, excused herself saying that it was only to make sure that things weren't going to get out of control.  
And as for Topaz's reports, Lapis realized that Peri hadn't lied. According to Topaz, Peri and the man were talking about computers, physics, chemistry... Yes, what Amethyst called "nerd stuff". Lapis didn't understand, it didn't make sense that a stranger appeared suddenly and began to give you private science lessons. But damn, that's the way things were.  
And despite her concern and constant vigilance, Lapis didn't talk to Peridot. They shared classes, they were in their lockers togheter, they sat at the same table, but they didn't talk. In fact, they didn't even look at each other. Lapis preferred to concentrate on her girlfriend, and respond to Amethyst's jokes, which were friendly again. And although she and Peridot might be participating in the same conversation, they never talked directly to each other.  
But that didn't mean Lapis didn't care that someone could hurt her. And not being able to understand the logic of the whole thing, the day came when she decided to take matters into her own hands. She had already said goodbye to Pearl, who had left with Greg in the van. Only then Lapis went to the front door, where Peri normally conversed with the strange man. She began to look for them with her eyes, and saw that Peri was already saying goodbye to him, sure she wanted to be present when her mother left her office. Lapis was watching them, and thinking what she was going to say, when someone put a hand on her shoulder and made her jump.  
"It's okay, it's me" Garnet said, giggling  
"You can't appear like that all!" Lapis complained, recovering from the shock  
"What are you doing here? Weren't you in the parking lot waiting for your mother? "  
"Yes, I just... Amethyst lent me a book, I wanted to see if she was still here to give it back, but I don't think so, so..."  
"A book?"  
"Yes. Her history book"  
"Really? But she used her history book to start a campfire"  
"Yes! It's true. I have a new one for her and... and I was gonna give it to her"  
Garnet shrugged and looked at her. Lapis knew she wasn't deceiving her, and she felt her eyes, brown and blue, pierce through her like x-rays. Garnet could be intimidating, in a good way.  
"It's not bad that we care about the people we love" Garnet commented, smiling  
"I don't know what you mean" Lapis replied, almost immediately  
At that moment the car horn sounded. Lapis turned and saw Ruby in the car, waving.  
"See you tomorrow, Lapis" Garnet said "Amethyst will thank you for the book"  
"Sure. See you "Lapis replied, feeling like an idiot  
She saw Garnet get into her mother's car. Then she remembered why she was there, and she turned just as Peri waved goodbye and walked away from the man, almost running, to enter the school through the parking lot door. That was the moment. Lapis ran to the man, who had already started walking towards the street.  
"Wait!" Lapis exclaimed, when she was several steps away from him  
The man stopped and looked at her curiously "Hi, can I help you?" he asked, kindly  
Lapis was stunned for a few seconds. All this time she had been watching him from afar, but now that she was near, she could see that he looked like someone who wouldn't hurt a fly. In general, he had the appearance of being very intelligent. His hair was straight and a little messy. Light brown, like his beard and mustache. He was very pale, and his eyes were bright green.  
"I... I'm sorry" Lapis said, feeling highly nervous "I just... I wanted to know... Why are you coming to look for Peridot?"  
The man raised an eyebrow. To Lapis's relief, he didn't seem upset by the question. Actually he seemed somewhat surprised.  
"It's not like I've been watching you or something" Lapis said inmediatly "It's just... it's unusual. Peri doesn't talk to many people and..."  
"Are you friends with Peridot?" the man asked  
"She's…. my cousin" Lapis replied  
"Cousin? Wait... Are you Azura's daughter? "  
"Yes, my name's Lapis"  
"I thought your name was Sky"  
"Uhh... no. She's my sister... Why do you know my mom?"  
"We were friends, I think. I had no idea that she had another daughter"  
"Yeah, it's complicated... But who are you?"  
"Oh, sorry! I'm Adrien Voss "  
He offered his hand to the girl, who shook it, saying "Lapis Lazuli Diamond"  
"Well Lapis, answering your question, Peridot seems very intelligent, I like to talk with her"  
"Why right now? Why don't you go find her later to her house or...?"  
"I understand your concern, but I assure you that I won't hurt her"  
"Yeah, but..."  
"Look, I... I knew your mom and your aunt Xanthe many years ago, we were friends. A few days ago I met Peridot and I think she's pretty smart for her age, she reminds me a little bit of me, that's why I'm interested in knowing a little more about her"  
Lapis felt a void in her stomach. The pieces in her mind began to join. She remembered that conversation with aunt Bianca...  
"Don't worry, everything's fine, I promise" Mr. Voss said.  
Lapis nodded. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before! No wonder those green eyes seemed familiar! But the important thing was... Peri would have noticed?  
"I... I'm so sorry" Lapis murmured, not knowing what to do or say now that she had noticed  
"Your concern is understandable, it shows that you two get along very well" he said, with a sincere smile. Goddammit, with each passing moment, Lapis saw more similarities between them...  
"Yes, yes... Well, I have to go. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Voss"  
"It's okay, Lapis. I'm glad you worry about Peridot. By the way... I know it may sound weird, but... I think your Aunt Xanthe hasn't realized this, and for now we would prefer it to be like this... "  
"Yeah, no problem... Bye"  
Before he could say anything else, Lapis ran out.  
What the fuck had just happened? Was it just a crazy coincidence, or was he who Lapis thought? It made sense, aunt Bianca had said that he had gone to study in another country, and if he and Peridot were talking about "nerd stuff"... Peri knew it? He knew it? Oh, shit, why did she have to meddle in the affairs of others?  
"Lapis?"  
She was startled for the second time that day. This time it was her mother, who seemed to have been looking for her.  
"Where were you? It's time to go, honey" Azura said, approaching  
"Yes, I'm sorry" she responded  
"Are you okay? You look a little pale"  
"Yeah, I'm fine"  
Her mother stroked her hair, and together they walked to the car.

* * *

Lapis was quite thoughtful all afternoon, trying to make sense of everything. Let's see, from what she understood, Mr. Voss had already seen Aunt Xanthe, and there he met Peridot, and now they met "secretly" 'cause surely Aunt Xanthe didn't like the idea of them seeing each other. Or simply he knew that aunt Xanthe was a bitter bitch and that everything bothered her. It couldn't be a coincidence! Why Peridot? Why not Blaine? Well, okay, Blaine wasn't precisely a cinnamon roll, but...  
And then there was the fact Peri looked a lot like him! Sure he had already noticed, but Peri was a little more distracted. Also, why had Peri taken so much confidence? Lapis knew that Peri didn't like talking to new people, so what was happening now? Why he had earned her trust so fast? Why they talked about science and didn't ask personal questions?  
When she finally realized that she couldn't solve everything on her own, Lapis decided that she would need help to clear up her doubts. And anyway, this was one of those things that she shouldn't keep secret.  
"Mommy?" she said, opening the door to her mother's office  
"Come in, honey" Azura replied, without looking up from her computer  
Lapis came in and sat in one of office chairs in front of the desk. Then, she rolled it until she was next to her mother, who was writing some document that seemed important. Lapis waited. Since she was younger, she knew that she shouldn't interrupt and she would get her mother attention as soon as she could pause. She laid her head on the desk, looking at the framed picture on the desk. In there, Azura was hugging a 9-year-old Lapis, who was smiling broadly, showing that she was missing one of her incisors. Then, she looked at her mother. Yes, Lapis still thought she was so pretty that she could be an actress without any problem.  
"Done" her mother said at last, closing the document and taking off her reading glasses  
Lapis got up, trying to fix her hair. Her mother smiled and ran her fingers through Lapis' hair, saying "I told you that you should brush it so it's not messy"  
"How do you know I didn't do it?"  
"Because you don't even have a comb in your room"  
"It's a good point. It's not my fault, I thought that short hair would be easier to manage"  
Her mother continued stroking her hair and asked "What do you wanna tell me, honey?"  
"I wanted to talk to you about something..." Lapis began  
"Oh no, what did you do now?"  
"What? Nothing! Hey, not always that I tell you that I wanna talk means that I got into trouble"  
Her mother giggled and said "I'm so used to hearing you did something you shouldn't have done that I can't think otherwise"  
"But I never do anything bad! You're liying"  
"Well miss, would you tell me what happened then?"  
Lapis wrinkled her nose as she thought of a subtle way of saying it, but in the end she let out a "I think I knew Peridot's father"  
"What?"  
Her mother looked at her, very surprised. Great, that had been subtle.  
"At least I think he's Peridot's father. He's a man with a beard who was talking to her every day for a week, and I think he's her father but I don't know if he knows. Today I spoke with him and he told me not to tell Aunt Xanthe but I think I couldn't keep it a secret. It's very important, isn't it? You should know. Maybe her's not her father, but all this thing is still very strange. I know what you'll say, but I wanted to talk to him 'cause I was afraid he would hurt Peri, but actually he's very kind and as he said he knew you I assumed you should know, he said he was your friend or something, so surely you remember him or something and you can tell me if... "  
"Woah, hold on! It's been a long time since you spoke so fast and without even taking a breath, little Alex"  
Lapis blushed a little and shrugged. Azura remained silent, processing everything Lapis had just said.  
"Did you ask his name?" the woman asked  
"Yes, he's Adrien Voss" Lapis replied  
Azura nodded and covered her mouth with her hand, looking at the floor. It was as if she had been suddenly attacked by a lot of thoughts.  
"Is he Peri's father?!" Lapis exclaimed.  
"You're a little nosy, you know?" her mother said, without removing the thoughtful expression on her face  
"Yes, he is! Oh my gosh!"  
"Peridot knows?"  
"I don't know, I don't talk to her, remember?"  
"Right... Yes, Adrien is Peri's father"  
"But how? Why do you know him?"  
"He was my best friend in high school. In fact everyone thought that he and I were... But no, he was always in love with Xanthe, but she wasn't interested... "  
"Yes, aunt Bianca told me that. Then she gave him a chance, just to get rid of him and... she got pregnant"  
"And he went to study in Cambridge, but when Xanthe realized that she was pregnant, she didn't tell him"  
"Why?"  
"Because surely he was gonna come back, and she definetely didn0t want that"  
"Don't you think that aunt Xanthe is a little...?"  
"Yes, you don't need to say it. I'm almost certain that Adrien went to look for her as soon as she arrived in the city. And now he's going to ask for an explanation. I can't believe that Xanthe has not told him yet!"  
"And what are you gonna do?"  
"Leave it to me, you little nosy. You're not supposed to talk to Peridot or have anything to do with her, remember?  
"But…"  
"I'll take care of this, I promise. Peridot matters to me as much as to you, darling. I'll try to do the best for her. I'm sure Adrien will be very happy to know that a girl as intelligent as Peridot is his daughter"  
"Are you gonna tell him?"  
"Oh no. Xanthe will have to do it, whether she wants it or not "  
Wow, maybe Aunt Xanthe could be intimidating, but Lapis was sure that it didn't work with her mother. Lapis nodded.  
"Where did you say he and Peridot meet?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Peridot finally have the love she deserves? Discover it soon :v  
> Thanks for reading and for your comments :'3


	34. Goodbye Blue Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are things that some people deserve to know.  
> But there are others that it was better not to know.

Well, Lapis knew that probably her mother wouldn't tell her much about her conversation with Mr. Voss, or whether she had it or not, but even so Lapis insisted on knowing what was happening, to which her mother responded with a "that's none of your business, darling"  
She was right, it was none of her business, but she really wanted to know how things were going to develop, and especially how this whole thing was going to affect Peridot. That was all, she had to know if Peridot was going to be okay, and once and for all, she was going to let her go.  
Those days had been crazy, and she felt that she owed Pearl a lot for having talked about Peridot all the time. That had definitely not been good. That's why, as soon as the bell announced the end of the last class, Lapis went to her mother's office for "the thing" and then, attracting all the looks in the hallway, almost ran to Pearl's locker, where she was organizing her books by size.  
"Hi, sweetheart" she greeted her, behind her back  
Pearl turned, and stared at her after giving an exclamation of surprise. Lapis had a panda plush in her arms, so big that she had to hold it with both hands.  
"What is this?" Pearl asked, with a nervous smile  
"Nothing, just a small gift for my girl" Lapis said  
Some had stopped to watch the scene. Pearl blushed a lot and hugged Lapis, saying "I love it!"  
"I know, I know you love pandas" Lapis said, handing her the plush "And I wanted to know if you want to hang out later. We could go to lunch or to the movies"  
"Of course" Pearl replied, still blushing. "Are we celebrating something special?"  
"Just the fact that you're my girlfriend"  
Pearl giggled and covered her face, completely red, with her free hand. She left the panda on the floor and hugged Lapis again, giving her many kisses on the cheek "You're so adorable...!"  
"I'm not adorable" Lapis replied  
"Of course you are, little muffin"  
Pearl kissed her very slowly. Lapis heard a few whistles around her, but far from being ashamed, she threw her arms around Pearl's neck, to keep her from separating from her. Lapis felt her heart racing. Well, maybe she was a little cheesy, just a little.  
"Lazuli!"  
Lapis turned to where she had heard her name, and found an angry Peridot, who had just turned around in the hallway but had frozen at the sight of the scene. Peridot had a strange expression on her face, but then she cleared her throat, frowning again and said "We need to talk"  
"Umm" Lapis muttered, she gently stopped hugging Pearl "I'm picking you up in an hour and a half, okay?"  
"Okay, Lapis" replied Pearl, smiling a little  
"I love you"  
"I love you too"  
Lapis Kissed her again, smiled and then walked towards Peridot, who turned around and started walking towards another hallway, which was almost empty. Oh, shit, and now what was going on? She didn't even talk to her! She couldn't blame her for anything else!  
When Peridot finally stopped, Lapis looked around and said "What's going on?"  
"Tell me something. When are you gonna stop meddling in other people's affairs?" Peridot demanded.  
Lapis looked at her without understanding, but then...  
"Or did you think I wouldn't notice Topaz?" the blonde added  
"Topaz? I'm not responsible for what she does" Lapis answered  
"Don't you get tired of lying? You lie to everyone! Stop!"  
Lapis ran a hand through her hair, took a deep breath and said "Okay, it's true"  
"Of course it is! Listen, I don't know what the hell you want with that, but it's not cool that you hire a spy! "  
"How do you know that?"  
"It's very obvious. Now tell me, what do you want to achieve with all this?"  
"The truth?"  
"Yes!"  
"I wanted to be sure you weren't gonna get hurt"  
Peridot giggled, looked around, then fixed her green eyes on Lapis and said "Nobody asked you to take care of me"  
"No, I know, but... I wanted to be sure you were okay"  
"Listen, I don't care what you want, or what you think, or anything about you. Stop getting into my life! Just go away!"  
"You don't have to be like this with me! I just wanted to protect you, but you know what? It's true! I don't even know why I care about you. You're very mean with me"  
"I'm mean with you? Who was the one who lied to me from the beginning?"  
"I also did it to protect you! Ahh, you know what? Go to hell!"  
"Sure! But don't go looking for me as you always do"  
"What?"  
"Look, if Pearl is so naive as to believe all your lies is her problem, but even she doesn't deserve that you're looking for me when you're with her"  
"Are you fucking crazy? I don't care anymore, do you understand? I worry about you 'cause it's the right thing, not 'cause I'm interested in you anymore "  
"Fine!"  
"Fine! Why would I want to get back with you anyway? I don't even know why I was dating you in the first place! From the moment I met you, you have belittled me, ignored me and hurt me for how you treat me! I think I deserved better!"  
"For how I treat you?!"  
"Yes, you treat me badly! I still can't believe you dared to accuse me of being a bully! That was a low blow, even for you!"  
"Well, forgive me! I already told you why I did it, and I don't regret it! What do you know about that if you've never been mistreated!"  
"That I've never been mistreated? Do you realize that I lived in an orphanage for nine years? You yourself have seen my back, do you think all those scars appeared out of nowhere? I know what mistreatment is! The difference is that I don't use it as an excuse to hurt other people's feelings! You're not the only one with problems"  
"You don't have to see the person who mistreated you every day!"  
"Oh no? If you had taken the time to know me better, you would know that person is that motherfucker Agate! "  
"That motherfucker, who?" Agate asked loudly, stepping towards them.  
Lapis cringed, and sure the expression on her face was terror, 'cause even Peri looked at her with a bit of concern.  
Agate stood right in front of her, leaned forward to see her right in the face and said "Shouting in the hallway. When are you gonna stop doing it, Alex?"  
Lapis took a step back, trembling. For a moment, she heard her own screams and smell the blood. It was one thing to see Agate every day, and another to approach her that way.  
"Listen carefully" the woman said quietly, stepping forward, cornering Lapis against the lockers "I don't care if you think you're very important now. For me, you're still the same little girl that I have to hit so that she learns to stay stills. So I hope that for once in your life you begin to behave well, or we'll have to go back to our old ways, do you understand?"  
Lapis nodded. Agate was too close. She just wanted her to leave.  
Finally, Agate walked away without saying more. Lapis covered her face with her hands, trying to calm down. She couldn't let that woman keep affecting her like that...  
Damn! Agate had been listening to them...!  
"Are... are you okay?" Peridot asked  
And if she had listened when they talked about their relationship? No, no, she was sure she didn't hear... But what if she did it?  
"Lapis?"  
The brown-haired girl took her hands from her face. Peridot looked somewhat worried.  
"Are you okay?" the blonde repeated  
Lapis nodded. Should she tell her about her suspicions about Agate? No, that didn't make sense. She only listened when Lapis insulted her. That's all.  
"Okay, just... get away from me, okay?" Peridot said  
"Yes. You're right. I'm sorry"  
After that, Lapis left. But it wasn't because she wanted to make a dramatic exit or something. It was simply that she suddenly felt the need to be close to her mother, even if she had to wait outside her office for a while.

* * *

Lapis felt very stressed for not knowing if Agate had heard something she shouldn't listen to. She knew that if she did, she was going to tell someone, probably one of her aunts. Or she was going to threaten Lapis with saying it if she didn't meet her demands. Or maybe she actually hadn't heard anything.  
But anyway, she decided not to let Agate ruin the rest of her day, so she forgot about it for a while when she went out to lunch with Pearl. Lapis realized that being with Pearl, all her worries lessened. She felt strangely calm, and she knew very well that it was because the girl listened to her and offered her full support. Lapis felt that no matter what she did, she would never pay Pearl for everything she did for her.  
They spent the afternoon doing the same as always, talking, laughing, singing, kissing... It really was those little moments that Lapis really appreciated.  
They were walking down the street, holding hands. Pearl, looking as feminine as ever, and Lapis, who seemed to have left a grunge concert of the 90's. They attracted all eyes, whether they saw them smiling, or making a faint grimace. It didn't matter. Lapis only cared to feel Pearl's warm fingers in hers.  
They were heading to Lapis' house. Or rather, to the beach, to sit on the sand to talk about everything, and nothing in particular. However, she stopped to see that in front of her house wasn't only the Jeep. There was also aunt Bianca's minivan and aunt Xanthe's Volvo.  
"Holy crap" Lapis murmured  
"What?" Pearl asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.  
"My aunts are here"  
"Oh no... What did you do now?"  
"Whar? Nothing! Why do you think I did something wrong?"  
"No offense, but..."  
"Yes, yes, I know. C'mon"  
Lapis drove Pearl to front door, but when she realized they couldn't enter without making noise, she went closer to the living room window.  
"What are you doing?" Pearl asked  
"Shhh, don't talk so loud"  
"Hey, remember when we talk about _'not getting into other people's affairs'_? Well this is one of those cases"  
"One last time, I promise"  
Lapis sat under the window, which was ajar. Pearl rolled her eyes, but still went to sit next to her. Lapis tried to listen the voices that came from inside.  
"... if he's here then he has the right to know! Why is it so difficult for you to understand?!" the voice of aunt Bianca was saying  
"I thought you said you wouldn't get into this anymore" aunt Xanthe said.  
"But he already knows her! And sure he already noticed. You can't leave him with doubt! Just tell him"  
"Do it for your daughter" Azura interjected "It's not about what you want, she has the right to know her father"  
"She has lived all her life without him, she doesn't need him now" aunt Xanthe sentenced  
"What's wrong with her?" Pearl whispered "She's..."  
"A bitch?" Lapis said  
"I was gonna say _selfish_ "  
"You know I've always tried to let you two live your own lives" aunt Bianca said "But this is ridiculous. Olive grew up without a father all her life because of your decisions, and now he appears and you're going to take away from her the right to know him? And let me tell you, it still seems ridiculous to me that you didn't even tell him that you were pregnant in the first place"  
"Look Bianca, I'm not 15 anymore. You have no right to tell me what I can and what I can't do"  
"Well, if you stop making stupid decisions..."  
"What do you mean by that? And what about Azura? "  
"Excuse me?" Azura exclaimed  
"We're talkin' about you"  
"No, let her continue. Tell me Xanthe, what was my stupid decision?"  
"You know very well what I'm talking about"  
Lapis felt a blow to her chest and lowered her head. Pearl put her hand on Lapis', but said nothing. Lapis heard some very strong footsteps followed and tthen her mother's voice "If you say something bad about my daughter again...!"  
"Azura, calm down!" aunt Bianca exclaimed "And you, don't try to change the subject! But since you mention it, I'm agree with Azura. I don't wanna hear you say anything bad about Lazuli again, did you understand? "  
"Well, didn't you care so much about Olive? If you really cared, you would worry more about making that spoiled girl stop bothering her "  
"That spoiled girl is my daughter!" Azura exclaimed "And I'm not gonna let anyone make her feel that she doesn't belong to this family"  
"This is ridiculous, Azura"  
"It's enough!" Bianca demanded "What's the matter with you? You two used to get along very well!"  
"I'm sorry Xanthe. You're my sister and I love you, but I'm not gonna let you keep making my daughter feel bad. You haven't even given her a chance. You haven't even tried, for me"  
There was a long silence. Lapis looked at Pearl, who was shocked.  
"It's because she's like Rosa, right?" Azura added, calmer  
"What?" Xanthe jumped  
"Lapis. She's just like Rosa, I know you've noticed. Rosa's rebellious attitude bothered you, and Lapis is exactly the same. She's restless and likes to break the rules. That's why you don't like her, right? She reminds you that you should'ot have been so mean with Rosa..."  
"Oh, so you didn't just replace Sky, also Rosa!"  
"Look Xanthe, we're here because you know you should do something with Adrien and Peri. I love you, yes, but if you're not gonna treat my daughter well, I don't want anything to do with you anymore"  
"Why do you always make a drama of everything? Fine, I'll tell Adrien... "  
Lapis felt Pearl pull her by the arm, so she decided to listen to her for once and followed her. They walked away from the window in silence, and made sure to get away from the house before crossing the street to get to the beach.  
"Are you okay?" Pearl asked, looking at her  
Lapis sat on the sand and said "You were right. I must not meddle other people's affairs affairs"  
Pearl sat next to her and hugged her. Lapis sighed and added "Yes, I'm okay. I hope mom is okay too. I think Aunt Xanthe really made her mad"  
"Cheer up. At least Peri will already know that this man is his father"  
"Yes... At least she had a happy ending"

* * *

POV Peridot  
A few days passed, and she hadn't stopped feeling a little guilty about how she had treated Lapis. Well, it bothers anyone that other people get into their lives, and she wasn't going to apologize for complaining about that. But if she saw it from another point, Lapis was only worrying about her, when in fact dhe didn't have to. She didn't know why she was behaving like that, anything Lapis did or said made her furious. And she knew that maybe it had also been wrong to imply that her relationship with Pearl wasn't going to work. Maybe it was her, Peridot, that was really becoming a kind of bully for Lapis. She just had to think a little, it was she who made Lapis feel bad every time she opened her mouth. Oh, and all the Lapis and Agate thing was also very intriguing to her, and she could still hear Lapis say _’If you had taken the time to know me better’_.  
Damn, that was so true. They had started a relationship without knowing each other. C'mon, they didn't even know each other's last name. They had let themselves be carried away by the foolish desire to be together. Peridot knew the basics facts about Lapis, but she never bothered to ask her more about her, and Lapis didn't do that either. Perhaps what they felt at that moment wasn't love, but a rare obsession. And instead, Peridot was sure that Pearl knew Lapis well enough. She had seen them herself, they share many things, kept secrets... And surely Pearl didn't make her cry.  
"Olive!"  
Peri looked away from her locker and looked back. Her mother looked somewhat angry. "It's the third time I've called you! What's wrong with you, silly girl? "  
The classes were over. It had been a terribly uncomfortable day because Lapis was doing what she had said that day. Before at least they crossed glances from time to time, but not anymore. Lapis had focused completely on Pearl every day, and Peridot couldn't help but feel bad, even though she had asked for it herself.  
"Follow me" her mother ordered her  
Peridot obeyed, and walked after her. Apparently, they were on their way to her office. What the hell had she done now? Well, she was right, they came to her mom's office. The most feared place in the whole school, because if they sent you there, it meant that you were going to receive one of the Yellow Diamond's legendary scoldings. But that wasn't going to be the case, right? According to her, she hadn't done anything wrong...  
When her mother opened the door, Peridot felt frozen. Mr. Voss was sitting in one of the chairs, and stood up as soon as he saw them enter. Oh shit, her mother had caught them or...!  
"Hey, hi Peridot" he said.  
"Hi" she answered, and then looked at her mother, who didn't look happy at all.  
"I want her at 6 in the house, Adrien" her mother said, looking at the man with a slight frown.  
"Of course" he said. Then he looked at Peri and said "Do you want to go out for lunch? We have a lot to talk"  
Peridot looked back at her mother, who was looking the other way. But c'mon, if she took her there in the first place, it means she had permission, right?  
"Okay..." she replied, a little nervous about the possible reaction of her mother, but feeling very excited about the idea of spending some time chatting with Mr. Voss without the worry of being caught  
"We won't be late, I promise" Mr. Voss said to her mother  
"Yes, of course" she replied, going to sit at her desk  
Mr. Voss made her a sign to get out first, and Peri obeyed. She found that Agate was waiting outside, and when they had gone a few steps away, he managed to hear that the woman said _"I have something to tell you, Ms. Diamond"_. Peri didn't like that woman, she was bad and scary. And she treated Lapis badly. It was her job to scold students who misbehaved, but she was especially bad with Lapis. At least now she understood why.  
"I know that all this seems a little weird" Mr. Voss said "But now we have your mother's permission and that's what matters, isn't it?"  
"Did you convince her?" Peri asked  
"Not really... We'll talk about that later. But tell me, how was your day?"

* * *

The idea of having an adult with whom she could really talk seemed strange. She knew it was normal for others, but Peridot felt she had never had someone like that. That's why it used to seem almost unreal to her that Lapis could talk about anything with aunt Azura, or even with aunt Bianca. If Peridot talk that way with her mother, she would surely punish her, or ignore her.  
But Mr. Voss was different, he really listened to her, appreciated her opinions, and gave her advice. Maybe she could even talk to him about Lapis someday. She really needed to talk about that with someone who could really offer good advice, and not a _"Fuck her"_ as Amethyst used to do.  
She and the man had gone to a restaurant, which, while not elegant, was quite pleasant. As always, they had talked a little about science while they ate. They liked to argue about whether the things that happened in science fiction movies might or might not be possible and why.. Mr. Voss wasn't only very intelligent, he was also very cultured. He had seen many movies, plays and had read many books, not just about science.  
"Have you already thought about what you want to study?" Mr. Voss asked, when they had finished eating.  
"I've thought about it a lot, but I can't decide" Peridot explained "There are many things that I would like to study. I can't decide between physics, chemistry or computing"  
"I understand you perfectly, I felt the same. That's why I love my job, it's like combining all that into one, don't you think?"  
"I think it would be great to be like you"  
"Wow, thanks. But listen, whatever you decide, tell me. I have colleagues in many universities who would be willing to be your tutors. In addition, you'll graduate at 16! It's awesome, you really are amazing"  
Peridot smiled. She wasn't used to hearing compliments.  
"Peridot... You like me, right?" Mr. Voss asked.  
"Of course" Peri said, with a smile  
"That's cool... And I think you're pretty mature and smart for your age... Then I think we can talk like adults, right?"  
"Yes, I guess so"  
"Great, 'cause I have no other way to tell you this..."  
Peri looked at him without understanding. The man took off his glasses and wiped them with a napkin before putting them back on. Peri understood that gesture. She also did it when she was nervous.  
"I guess I should start by telling you that I was born and grew up in this city. I wasn't very good at making friends, basically my only friend was your aunt, Azura "  
Peri nodded. Wow, she knew how that felt. But she didn't understand why he was telling her now.  
"And I was... well, I was in love with your mother, but... Well, she really... Well, she didn't even pay attention to me. I was just her sister's friend. She went out with other guys, and years later your sister was born"  
"I don't understand why you're telling me this" Peridot said  
"Yes... Well, after all that, your mother agreed to go out with me for a while. After a few years I understood that it wasn't really 'cause she wanted to, I don't know if you understand me... Well, anyway, at that time I was offered a scholarship in Cambridge, and I left"  
"Ok, get it, you dated my mom but you went to study in England. But why are you telling me this?"  
"Oh, dear god... Well, I didn't know, I had no idea about this but... I think the two of us, your mother and I... We had... a baby girl"  
It took Peridot a couple of seconds to understand what she had just heard.  
"So I... I'm your dad"  
Peridot said nothing. He seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  
"And I'm not good at these things, I had no idea how I was gonna tell you" the man said "Your mother didn't tell me she was pregnant, or I would never have left here. I didn't know anything about her until the other day, and I met you, and I started asking myself questions, until your mother confirmed it to me... yesterday"  
Peridot remained in complete silence, staring at him.  
"I'm so sorry I wasn't with you, Peridot" he continued "But I swear I had no idea. Maybe if I had worried less about my work and had come here before... "  
"Is this all serious?" Peridot said at last.  
"Yes. Listen, I understand if you're mad at me, but all this is as confusing to me as it must be to you"  
"I'm not mad at you"  
When the idea finally became clear in Peridot's mind, she giggled. She had a dad! She really had a dad! And her dad was a genius!  
"Are you okay?" he asked  
Peridot nodded. The man smiled a little and said "I don't know what I can do to compensate you, but... now that I know you exist I would like to be with you... Although I would understand if you didn't want..."  
Peridot couldn't take it anymore. She stood up, ran to the other side of the table and hugged him. The man also hugged her. Peridot felt very, very happy. It had been so long since she felt so happy...  
"You're not gonna leave again, are you?" Peridot asked without letting him go "Are you gonna stay here? Or... Can I go with you?"  
The man, Adrien, her father, giggled and let her go so he could look at her. He had watery eyes. Intense green eyes, like hers. "Do you want to live with me?" he asked  
"Yes! When can I move? Are you gonna stay here? Will you go back to Cambridge? Where…?"  
"Take it easy, little one. This is a surprise for both of us, but I would love for you to come with me! But your mom..."  
"I don't wanna be with my mom! I wanna be with you!"  
"Okay, listen... Let's take it easy, okay? I'll settle this matter as soon as possible, and we'll see what your mother thinks. But you must be sure of something: from now on, I'll be with you always, okay?"  
"Yes, dad"  
Her dad giggled and hugged her again. And Peridot, finally, felt safe.

* * *

She even felt terrible having to return to her house later. Now that she knew the truth, the mansion seemed less and less a home. Knowing that Adrien Voss was her father had been amazing! She had many questions for him, but she would ask them later. For now, the only thing that mattered was that she had a dad, and that her dad loved her.  
When he left her at home and stayed a few moments talking to her mother, Peridot ran to her room, feeling as happy as ever. Even more than when Lapis asked her to be her girlfriend. At least she was sure that this couldn't go wrong.  
She began to imagine what it would be like to live with her father. Maybe she should have asked if he lived alone, but hey, she would do it later. She didn't care if his house was small or big. Peridot knew better than anyone that it didn't matter in the least. After all, she was totally unhappy in a beautiful mansion. Oh, she also began to wonder when she could change her last name. Peridot Voss. And if she could, remove the name Olive. Damn, she really hated that name.  
"Olive!"  
She sat on the bed, listening to her mother's footsteps going down. She sure wanted to know what had happened.  
"Why didn't you tell me he was my dad?" Peridot asked as she saw her come down  
"That doesn't matter now" her mother said  
"Of course it matters! He's my dad and you didn't tell me! "  
"Don't you dare talk to me like that!"  
She closed her mouth. If she didn't want to talk about her father, then what was she doing there?  
"Tell me something, Olive. Do you think I'm stupid?" her mother said, slowly moving towards her  
"What?" Peridot said, and suddenly her happiness began to be replaced by fear  
"Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think you can lie to me?"  
"I-I don't know what you're talkin' about"  
"Today Agate went to see me at my office, and you know what she told me?"  
"N-no"  
"She told me that she heard an interesting conversation between you and... that orphan"  
"L-L-L-Lapis?"  
"Lapis. Yes. Do you remember what you two talked about?"  
"N-no... Well... I told her to get away and..."  
"Sure, you did it. And why you suddenly hate Lapis?"  
"Y-y-you t-told me I sh-shouldn't talk to her"  
"Ah yes. Was it because I told you that? Or are you still hurt 'cause she broke up with you?"  
Peridot felt a cold sweat all over her body. She was fucked up, completely fuckerd up. And she couldn't do anything about it.  
"I don't know what's the worst part of all this" her mother said, pulling Peri's hair to force her to her feet. Peridot cried out in pain "That you lied to me, that you're a lesbian, that you went out with your _'cousin'_ , or that that person is that little bitch!"  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry" Peridot cried, trying to make her let her go "I'm not going out with her anymore! It's over! I don't even talk to her! I don't wanna talk to her! I'm sorry, mom!"  
"And you thought I wasn't gonna notice!"  
"Let me go!"  
Her mother threw her against the wall. Peri fell to the floor, trembling, while her mother approached. She was furious, Peridot had never seen her like this before.  
"You're gonna regret it. I'm gonna make you regret it" her mother said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... Poor Peri :'(  
> Let me know if you liked the chapter, I appreciate your comments very much :3 Thanks!


	35. Shelter from the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved_   
>  _Everything up to that point had been left unresolved_   
>  _Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm_   
>  _"Come in" she said "I'll give ya shelter from the storm"_

Lapis had already decided to leave Peridot for peace. She had stopped talking about her, and she didn't even look at her. And best of all, she didn't feel bad about that anymore. After their little discussion in the hallway, Lapis had only reaffirmed her decision, which she didn't care about be okay with the little blonde. She wasn't going to worry about her either, since that bothered her so much. After all, it wasn't her business, as long as it didn't affect her or Pearl, she didn't care anymore.  
She felt that all that change had been for the best. She felt much calmer now that she had decided to leave the blonde alone. The only thing that had to do with her in the past days was when Lapis paid $110 to Topaz for her work.  
But anyway, that afternoon Lapis came home, after having spent time at Pearl's house. She loved spending time with Steven, the little one was very nice, and it seemed that he also enjoyed playing with Lapis Also, the girl giving him cookies when Pearl wasn't looking.  
Lapis came home, unable to get rid of the silly smile on her face as she remembered how well she had been with Pearl. She felt very happy, and nothing was going to be able to take away that feeling.  
When she entered and closed the door, she heard some laughter in the living room. For a moment she worried, but then she thought that if it was laughter, it couldn't be bad, right? And anyway, she had to go through there on her way to hir room, so she just moved on. She was surprised to see Mr. Voss sitting on one of the sofas, but he immediately stood up when he saw her enter.  
"Oh, Lapis, I'm glad you arrived" her mother said, with a smile "Well Adrien, I think you already knew my daughter"  
"Of course. How are you, Lapis?" Mr. Voss said, advancing towards her and holding out his hand  
"I'm fine, thank you" Lapis answered, with a nervous smile. Now she felt a little guilty for thinking that the man was going to try to hurt Peri, so she couldn't help but blush a little.  
"An apology for anything this girl said" Azura joked "She's a bit impulsive."  
"Oh no, it's okay" the man replied, smiling "I'm very happy to know that my daughter has friends who care about her"  
"Your daughter? Then you…?"  
Azura cleared her throat to interrupt and said "My little Lapis is a meddler"  
"Oh, c'mon Azura, everyone will know anyway" Mr. Voss said with a giggle "Yed Lapis, I'm Peri's father, and she already knows"  
"Really? And how did she take it?" Lapis asked  
"She was very happy. I think we'll get along very well"  
"Great! I'm very happy for you"  
Lapis looked at her mother, who smiled at her and raised an eyebrow. Lapis understood the signal and said "Well... Nice to see you... I must go to my room"  
"Yes. Nice to see you too"  
Lapis nodded and continued on her way. However, she stopped when turning around the corner without a sound and sat on the floor. She could almost hear Pearl's voice saying _"Go to your room, Lapis"_  
"Lapis is a very good girl" Mr. Voss said  
"Oh yes, she is" Azura replied "She loves to break the rules and is as restless as a tornado, but it's very, very good"  
"I think you adore her, right"  
"She's my pride. She's so kind and intelligent that sometimes she surprises me!"  
"And she looks a lot like you! It's strange, don't you think? Sometimes adopted children look a lot like their adoptive family"  
"I've been told before. Bianca has also heard many comments about how much Lapis looks like her"  
"From what you have told me, she also adores your daughter"  
"Oh, of course! But it's the effect that Lapis has on people. She gets you to love her immediately. When I met her, I knew I wanted her to be in my life"  
"I think she really managed to turn your life around in those moments, right?"  
"Totally. I was very depressed by everything that had happened, Lapis was like a sunshine. Many times I was told that I'm a great person to rescue a girl who had nothing, but the truth is... Lapis saved me "  
"She managed to make you stop being sad"  
"Yes, But she was about to cause me a heart attack several times!! She's so restless...! I couldn't stop watching her even for a moment because by the time I saw her again, she was already falling from a tree or something"  
There were giggles. Lapis also smiled, somewhat moved.  
"I'm very sorry about Sky" Mr. Voss commented after a brief pause "I feel really bad for not being here with you"  
"Don't worry. You know, in the end I think it was the best... Sky was suffering a lot, she spent a lot of time fighting against so many diseases, and it was very hard to see her suffer"  
"It's a good way to see it... But anyway, it shouldn't have been easy"  
"No, it wasn't. It was a terrible year. First Sky, then Robert left, and then Rosa's accident..."  
"Rosa's thing must have been terrible... So sudden..."  
"It was totally horrible, it was such a hard blow for us... Xanthe had argued with her a few hours before, she'll never forgive herself"  
"And I remember that you and Rosa were very close..."  
"Yes, it was definitely not a good time for me. I preferred to leave here and get away from all these bad memories, and after meeting Lapis, I know I made a good decision"  
"And you never heard from Robert again?"  
"Someone told me that he had another wife and a kid. I don't know, he didn't apologize for leaving and I'm not interested in him doing it"  
"So you never married again?"  
"Oh no, I preferred to dedicate myself to my work and to Lapis. But tell me, what about you?"  
"Of course not, I was very busy studying and working on my projects, and I was always bad for this, remember?"  
"And yet you looked for Xanthe as soon as you arrived"  
"I wanted to see if she would want to go out with me just for the old days... Clearly things didn't change much. But hey! I met Peri"  
"Peri is a very sweet girl! You won't want to leave her alone for a moment"  
"I know, I'm already missing her. But hey, there's something that intrigues me... She told me something that she didn't want to live with her mom anymore..."  
At that moment, Lapis' phone started ringing. She was startled, and immediately took it out of her pocket to decrease out the sound. Then she ran to her room to answer.  
When she saw the screen, she saw the name _Peridot_. Lapis raised an eyebrow. Surely she had been wrong or had called her by accident. She threw the cell phone on the bed and let it ring until it stopped. Lapis took off her shoes and lay down on the bed, looking at the ceiling. Fuck, it would be so embarrassing that they would have realized she had been spying…  
The phone rang again. Lapis saw _Peridot_ on the screen again. Ok, once was a mistake, but two? Yes, it wasn't a joke, the girl really was calling her. Well, she supposed she had to answer...  
"Hello?" she said, taking the phone to her ear  
" _L-L-Lapis?_ " she heard from the other side. After that, there were a couple of sobs  
"Peri?" Lapis said, rising up suddenly "What's wrong? Are you okay?"  
" _C-c-can I g-go to yo-o-ur house?_ "  
"Of course! Where are you? What happened Are you crying?"  
" _M-mom kicked me out o-of the house..._ "  
"What?!"  
" _I'll arrive at your house i-i-in a few minutes..._ "  
"Wait! What happened? Tell me where you are!"  
" _No, no... I'll tell you everything when I get there_ "  
"Peri...!"  
But Peridot had already hung up. Lapis looked at the phone, feeling an emptiness in her stomach. Her mother had kicked her out of the house? What the hell was Aunt Xanthe thinking? Oh shit, Peri was so scared...  
But what was she doing? She got up from the bed and ran to the living room, still with the phone in her hand.  
"Lapis" her mother said, looking at her with concern "Are you okay? What happens?"  
"Yes, I'm fine" she said, and cleared her throat before saying "It's Peri..."

* * *

Nearly 30 minutes passed before someone knocked on the door. It was Lapis who got up from the sofa and ran to open. As soon as she opened the door, Peridot hugged her. In fact, if she hadn't known it was Peridot, she wouldn't even have had time to see who was hugging her. The little blonde was still crying, but now they were weak sobs, full of real sadness.  
"It's okay, Peri" Lapis said, feeling terrible to hear her cry like that "What happened?"  
Peri let her go, wiping away tears. Lapis felt her breath stop when she saw her. Peri had a huge bruise on her left eye, she couldn't even open the eye. Beside this she had a small open wound, through which came a trickle of blood. She had red marks on her cheeks, as if someone had slapped her many times, and her lower lip was split and swollen. In addition to this, her arms were bruised and there were several blood stains on her green t-shirt.  
Lapis couldn't say anything, but Peri did. She said "Mom already knows, Lapis"  
Before she could answer, she heard a little scream behind her, and immediately Azura and Adrein appeared at the door. Azura crouched down and hugged Peri, exclaiming "Oh my god! What happened? Who did this to you?"  
Peri didn't respond, just kept crying. Mr. Voss also knelt beside her and hugged her very tightly, saying in a soft voice "Calm down, you're safe now. C'mere"  
Lapis felt so bad about the whole thing that she felt like throwing up. She even felt that it was hard for her to breathe. No, no, this couldn't be true! See how others bothered her or even how they pushed her in the hallways was a thing, but seeing her full of bruises and blood...  
When Lapis came back to reality, she was sitting on the sofa in the living room. She looked around. Peri was sitting on another sofa, and her father was carefully cleaning her wounds. Lapis shook her head. Her mother brushed the hair out of her eyes and said "Do you feel better, honey?"  
"I fainted?"  
"No, but you were... kinda weird"  
"Peri! What happened?"  
Peridot and Mr. Voss looked at her. Then, everyone looked at Peri. She lowered her head.  
"It's okay, honey" Azura said "You don't have to say it if you don't..."  
"Mom hit me and kicked me out of the house" Peri said very quickly  
Everyone remained silent. Azura was horrified, and Adrien just looked at his daughter, very surprised. It was Lapis who cleared her throat and said "She knows?"  
Peridot nodded. Lapis looked at her mother. Oh shit.  
"How?" Azura asked "How does she know?"  
"Agate told her, I think" Peri replied, apparently somewhat surprised that her aunt knew what they were talking about  
Lapis was speechless. She knew it! She knew that Agate had heard them! Oh shit, she must have told Peri to warn her!  
"Can you tell me what are you talkin' about?" Mr. Voss asked "Well, whatever it is, Xanthe's gonna listen to me! How is it possible that she can do this?! She's not gonna get away with it this time, this is too much even for her! Do you know what I should do? I should sue her for mistreatment! I can't believe it!"  
"Take it easy, Adrien" Azura said to him "I agree with you, Xanthe exceeded the limit" The woman approached Lapis and said "Honey, why don't you go with Peri to the beach? Adrien and I have a lot to talk about"  
"Sure" Lapis said, standing up.  
Peri imitated her, and Lapis waited for the blonde to advance first. She felt a little nervous to know that her mother would probably tell Peri's dad the whole story, but it was necessary to understand the whole thing.  
Neither she nor Peridot said anything during the way to the beach. They sat quietly on the sand. Peri was barely able to stop crying. Lapis didn't dare to look directly at her. She felt that all this was her fault.  
"I'm really sorry" Lapis said suddenly  
"It's not your fault, Peri muttered, not looking at her.  
"This is all my fault. I'm truly sorry"  
Peri hugged her knees. Lapis looked at her sideways. The bruises stood out a lot on her pale skin. She was so small and fragile... What the hell was Aunt Xanthe doing?! She could have killed her!  
"Mom was really angry" Peri murmured.  
"I should've told you that I had the suspicion that Agate had been listening..."  
"It doesn't matter, Lapis. You couldn't have avoided this... "  
"I promised you I would take care of you..."  
"You couldn't do it... And anyway, I asked you not to do it"  
Oh, true. For a moment, Lapis had forgotten that the two of them didn't even talk to each other. Shit. She just couldn't pretend that she didn't care. Peri was very important to her, and she felt terribly wrong to see her like that.  
"I'm so sorry Lapis" Peri said suddenly  
"Excuse me? You said you're sorry?"  
"Yes. I've behaved like a clod all this time. You just wanted to help me, you worried about me, and I've done nothing but treat you badly since we met. All this time I've told you horrible things, like you're a bad person, when in fact the bad person is me, for how I've treated you and all that"  
"Peri, I..."  
"No, listen to me. You're great. You made mistakes but you try to change. Instead, I... I've only been blaming everyone, and I think I didn't stop to see that I'm the one who's behaving like a terrible person"  
Lapis said nothing. Peri still didn't look at her. The blonde was still hugging her knees and looking at the horizon.  
"I think it hurt me a lot to see you with someone else" Peri muttered. It seemed more like a thought out loud than anything else "I think I realized then how much I missed you, that I really needed to have you by my side. Thanks to you I'm no longer the silly girl that everyone made fun of. I owe you a lot, Lapis, and I never gave you anything in return"  
Lapis realized she was crying too. She couldn't even open her mouth to answer, so she just approached her and hugged her with one arm. Peridot leaned against her chest.  
"I'm sorry, Lapis" the blonde repeated  
"I'm sorry too, for everything" Lapis said, stroking her hair. "In case I ever did or said something that hurt you. For not having taken care of you as I should, for having caused you so many problems since I met you"  
"I don't regret having met you"  
"Me neither"  
Lapis felt her heart speed up. It had been so long since she had been near Peridot. It had been so long since she had hugged her like that...  
"What do you think will happen now?" Peridot asked  
"What do you mean?"  
"What will happen to me?"  
"Well... I guess your dad won't be very happy with this"  
"I thought today was a good day... I had met my dad and all that... And... and Mom took care of ruining everything, as always. I'm very afraid, Lapis. Mom is... very mean"  
"Easy Peri. At last you said it out loud. Now mom knows. She's not gonna let Aunt Xanthe do anything to you again. You have her, your dad and me"  
"You have no idea what mom is capable of..."  
"I'm not gonna let her do anything to you. I don't care what she try... Probably right now she's making a plan to get rid of me, right?"  
Peri giggled. Lapis then considered what she had just said. Aunt Xanthe wasn't going to be happy now that she knew what had happened. But Lapis wasn't afraid either. Xanthe had made a big mistake. She could go to jail for what she had just done.  
"I hope she doesn't try to do anything to you" Peri said.  
"To me? I would like to see her try!" Lapis joked  
"It's seriously, Lapis... It would be horrible if she tries to do something to you..."  
Lapis didn't know what else to answer, so she just kept quiet for a few moments. Then, she let her go, lay down on the sand, in front of her, smiled and said "Wanna build a sand castle?"  
"What?"  
"C'mon! I know that you like to build things, and I'm very bad for this"  
"Why do you lie down in the sand? Your hair is gonna fill with sand and it will be very difficult for you to take it off and..."  
Lapis laughed and got up, then went to the water, where she could get wet sand.  
"C'mere! Help me with this!" Lapis exclaimed, making a tiny heap of sand and trying to give it a rounded shape  
Peri looked at her strangely, as if she could doubt her mental stability.  
"Does it look good from where you are?" Lapis asked, trying to make that heap of sand look like a tower  
"No" Peri replied "It's crooked, and it has too much sand on the right side. It's gonna fall"  
"Why don't you help me then?"  
Peri hesitated for a second, but finally got up and knelt in the sand, next to Lapis. The brown-haired girl smiled and said "Well, what should we do now?"  
"Well, at first it's too much sand if it's just a tower, but if what you wanted was to make the main building it's fine... but it shouldn't be round, but square to have a base"  
"Ok, I understand"  
"Mmm... do you want it to have a moat and a bridge? What am I doing?! First we must make a wall in case the tide rises. Help me, we need more sand for that. Dig a hole here, so you'll get sand and start with the moat..."

* * *

After a while, Lapis and Peri had managed to build a castle so huge that Lapis was sure that she could never have done it on her own. It had many towers, a moat and a bridge that really, she wondered how Peri did to keep it standing. And although at first she didn't want to help, Peri was now completely focused on everything being perfect. As Lapis was somewhat clumsy for this things, she preferred to follow the blonde's indications. Peridot was so excited that it was hard to believe that she had arrived crying. Now she was laughing every time Lapis knocked something down by accident. Oh, and she laughed out loud when the brown-haired girl got into the water looking for some shells to decorate the towers and a huge wave knocked her down. Of course, to silence her, Lapis had huggedd Peri, wetting her too. She was really managing to make the blonde stop feeling sad, or at least she hoped so. Rather, it was Lapis who felt a little sad. The swelling of Peri's eye had already gone down, but now Lapis felt a little bad for seeing her green eye surrounded by that intense purple tone. She just didn't understand how anyone could dare to do such a thing to such a sweet and innocent girl.  
"It's really amazing, Peri," Lapis commented, when Peridot was putting the finishing touches on a tower.  
"Oh, it's nothing" the girl said "It's been a long time since I build a sand castle, I must be losing practice"  
"Are you serious? Wow, I don't even wanna imagine how you do it right, then! "  
Peridot smiled at the compliment. Lapis also smiled. She really missed being the one who made Peridot smile.  
Suddenly, Lapis saw a person walking by on the way to her house. She squinted to see better, and just at that moment, Blaine also looked at her. Then, she crossed the street and walked towards them.  
"Oh, no" Lapis said, standing up.  
"What?" Peri asked, turning around. When she saw her sister approaching, she became a little pale. Lapis stood in front of her. She didn't know what Blaine wanted, but Lapis was ready for anything.  
"Hey" Blaine said, when she was close enough  
Peri didn't answer, in fact she cowered a little behind Lapis. It was the brown-haired girl who spoke "Can I help you with something?"  
"Calm down, I don't wanna fight with you" Blaine replied "Peridot, can you stand up?"  
Peri hesitated a bit, but finally stood up and stood next to Lapis, a little nervous. Blaine looked at her. Lapis couldn't believe it, her cousin was... ashamed? No, she didn't know exactly how to interpret the expression on her face.  
"Look, I... I'm sorry" Blaine said, looking at the sand "I didn't realize what was happening until Mom yelled at you to leave... This... This is wrong, and I feel that I could have done something, I'm sorry"  
Lapis and Peridot were speechless. Blaine had blushed a little, but she continued "I assumed you would come here... I just wanted to... Well, mom is furious, and I didn't want to risk being punished or something, so I couldn't get many things out of the house... But I brought this to you"  
Blaine opened the large bag she was carrying and took out the alien plush. Peri smiled and took the alien, hugging it very hard. Lapis, in turn, just looked at Blaine and drew a slight smile on her face. Blaine blushed and grimaced, and handed her bag to Lapis, saying "I brought some clothes too... I wasn't sure what to take, so... I hope it's okay"  
"Thank you" Peri said, smiling  
"Yes, thank you Blaine" Lapis repeated  
"You're welcome" Blaine replied, looking away "I hope you're okay and all that and... I should go now. It's a nice castle by the way"  
After this, the girl left. Peri gave the alien plush to Lapis and ran after her sister, hugging her from behind. Then she let her go, as if she had noticed what she had just done. Blaine stared at her for a few seconds, and also hugged her.  
"You're not a big clod like I thought" Peridot said  
"I guess you're not that bad either, clod" Blaine replied, with a smile  
Lapis just smiled, and she didn't listen to the words they exchanged next. She didn't try to do it either, that was a moment between the two of them. Until at last, Blaine left. Peri returned and took the alien from Lapis' arms, with a smile.  
"I guess the day is not so bad after all" Lapis commented  
"Yeah, I think so"

* * *

Even it was already dark when Lapis' mother finally came out to tell them that they could enter. The atmosphere in the house felt much more relaxed. Azura and Adrien looked a little more relaxed, but not quite. Peri was very happy now, and Lapis too, for being able to help Peri after what she had just experienced.  
"Do you feel better, sweetie?" Azura asked Peri  
"Yes" she replied "Lapis and I built a castle. Blaine brought me this" she added, showing her the alien  
"Blaine?"  
"Yes, she also brought me clothes and all that. And she told me that mom was still furious"  
"You don't have to worry about that anymore, little girl" Mr. Voss said, putting his hand on Peri's shoulder "Your mother is not gonna hurt you anymore"  
Woah, he looked so determined that Lapis wondered how much he and her mother had talked. But no, she wasn't going to ask for information that didn't belong to her.  
"You can stay with your aunt or come with me if you want, little girl" the man told Peri "Whatever you decide"  
"You should go with him" Azura observed, gently stroking Peri's hair "You and your dad have a lot to talk about"  
Peri nodded, then looked at her father and nodded again. Lapis was very happy. From what little Peri had told her, she was really happy to be with her father at last.  
"I'll let you know then, Azura" Adrien said "Peri needs a little rest"  
"Sure, it's okay" the woman said. Then, she kissed Peri on the forehead and said "Don't forget that I love you very much, honey. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. And don't worry about Xanthe "  
"Thanks, auntie" Peri said timidly "Bye Lapis"  
"Bye Peri" the girl replied, smiling  
Mr. Voss took a step toward her and and he shook her hand. Then he smiled and said "Thanks for everything Lapis"  
She didn't know what to answer and nodded awkwardly.  
After that, she saw Peri leave, accompanied by her father. Her mother closed the door slowly, and she and Lapis looked at each other for a few seconds.  
"Did you tell him everything?" Lapis asked timidly  
"Yes" her mother replied  
"Is he mad at me?"  
"Nobody's mad at you, honey"  
"Except aunt Xanthe"  
"Don't worry... Xanthe won't get away with this, I promise you... Now, I should call Bianca"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things finally seem to improve! More or less...  
> If you liked the chapter, leave a comment, I would appreciate it very much :3  
> Thank you for reading! See you next week :D


	36. Blue Hair (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis and Peridot realize what they really feel, but there are still some barriers between them.

Despite her concern about what was going to happen, Lapis didn't ask anything. All she knew about the matter was that her mother called Aunt Bianca, and apparently the oldest of the Diamonds was furious. Or at least she intuited it for the constants _'Keep calm, Bianca... There's more'_ of her mother. Lapis cared a little for herself. Now her aunt was going to find out what she and Peri had had, and she didn't know how she was going to take it. She hoped that her aunt's anger wasn't against her.  
She had sent a message to Peridot, but the girl didn't answer her until late at night. She had told her that she already felt much better, that the blows no longer hurt her so much, and that her dad had encouraged her a lot. She also thanked Lapis for spending the afternoon with her, 'cause she had actually managed to distract her from all that unpleasant business.  
Lapis couldn't stop thinking about that afternoon... Peri apologized to her, and then they built that castle together... She remembered that feeling of happiness when she saw Peridot laughing, and more to know that she had been responsible for that laugh. And several times she had discovered herself smiling while watching Peridot. She hadn't had that feeling since... Well, from a long time ago. She felt very strange, she wasn't sure how that afternoon she had managed to change so many things in her mind.  
That night she couldn't sleep peacefully. She had too much to think about. On the one hand, she was very worried. Aunt Xanthe was a very bad woman, and she was worried about what she could do to Peri... Or even to her. And on the other hand, she couldn't stop thinking about Peridot. That had to happen for Lapis to realize... Who are she trying to fool? Of course, Peridot was still important to her, maybe even more than she thought. She had felt so incompetent knowing that she didn't do anything for her, that she hadn't been able to do anything... She had that feeling of wanting to protect her at all costs again.  
"Lapis... Are you okay?" Pearl asked  
She returned to reality, looked at the girl and nodded. They were in the cafeteria. It seemed so weird... Everyone around looked so happy. Sh didn't understand how there were people like that, without worries, while she and Peridot spent the night awake.  
"How did you do on the science test?" Pearl asked, trying to encourage her to talk  
"I got a C" Lapis answered  
"Really? But you said you were sure you would get a B at least!"  
"And I did, but Mr. Bayley said he put me a lower note 'cause my horrible handwriting"  
"Are you serious? That's not fair"  
"Maybe it is, the truth is that it must have cost him a lot to read my answers"  
She chuckled. However Pearl didn't laugh, and she set about arranging Lapis' hair behind her ear before saying "You're very worried about Peri, right?"  
"Why do you say that?"  
"You're very distracted... And it's normal, after everything that happened... I still can't believe everything you told me"  
"I didn't either... Seriously it was horrible, I almost fainted when I saw her arrive at my house, I wish I could help"  
"I think it's something delicate, now everything depends on what her parents decide"  
"I think Mr. Voss could win custody, don't you think? So Peri will no longer have to live with my aunt..."  
"If Peri confesses everything her mother has done to her, it would be much easier"  
"You should have seen her, P... Xanthe could seriously hurt her, even kill her! She doesn't deserve this... It's not fair"  
"At least you helped her later"  
"Yes, actually I think I made her happy, it was fun, and I liked making her laugh at those times..."  
Pearl looked at her, raising an eyebrow. Lapis blushed a little when she realized what she had said. Pearl ran her hands through her hair and said "Well, maybe..."  
In that moment, Garnet, Amethyst and Peri came to the table. Lapis felt very bad seeing Peri's injuries. That day she had combed her hair down to try to cover her black eye.  
"Hi" Lapis said, straightening in her chair "Are you okay? How you feel?"  
"I guess I'm fine" she murmured.  
Lapis guessed that the only reason Peri had gone to school was because she knew her mother wasn't going to be there. That was super weird... Neither Xanthe nor Bianca had attended school that day. Lapis supposed that something very serious was happening...  
"Hey" Peri murmured "I have to tell you something... I was telling Amethyst that..."  
"What?" Pearl asked  
Peri looked at the girls. Amethyst smiled at her and patted her on the back to encourage her to speak.  
"Dad says he will take me to live in Boston"  
"What?" Lapis exclaimed "But I thought your dad was working here"  
"Yes, he came to repair some machines... But he was offered a better job in Boston. I was thinking whether to leave or not... He and I think it's best if I walk away from here for a while ... "  
"But... but you can't...!"  
They all looked at Lapis. She didn't care, just looked at Peri in search of a more reassuring response.  
"I wouldn't, really..." Peri said, somewhat embarrassed "I wouldn't like to leave here... I mean, I finally have you, it's very difficult for me to make friends and... Well, starting over would be horrible"  
"So why did you say yes to your dad?" Pearl asked.  
"Because I don't wanna have to see my mom..."  
"But... but when...?" Lapis asked  
"The sooner the better... I don't know, it could be any day"  
"But it's not long before we graduate! You can wait..."  
"Yes, but... But I really don't wanna have to see mom everyday..."  
Lapis remained silent. Shit, she didn't expect that. She thought it would be hard for everyone to continue with their normal lives and all that, but it never crossed her mind that Peri was going to leave there... No! Why now? Why now that it seemed that things were going so well between them?  
"I'm sorry Lapis" Peri said "Can we talk in private?"  
"Sure..."  
Pearl looked at her and shrugged, confused. Lapis stood up and left, behind Peri, to the hallway.  
"Peri, you... you can't leave" Lapis said  
"I'm sorry Lapis, but I think it's something I have to do. Today mom's not here, but tomorrow... I can't see her every day, I just can't do it"  
"But you have me! I can protect you from everyone..."  
"Why? Lapis, after everything I did to you... Why do you want to protect me?"  
Lapis not answered. She knew what the answer to that question was, but she didn't say it.  
"I feel that yesterday I didn't apologize in the right way, I still had certain things to tell you... Like I'm very sorry to have lied to my mom about you, I did it to receive some love and... Look what happened anyway... "  
"It doesn't matter anymore..."  
"Of course it matters! It was very bad and... And I'm sorry, I wish I hadn't behaved like a fool with you"  
"I also made many mistakes, you don't have to apologize"  
"But you always tried to protect me, and I didn't thank you, Lapis. I... I... I'm gonna miss you"  
Lapis hugged her. She was really wishing she didn't start crying.  
"Don't leave me, Peri" she asked "Please... Your mom's not gonna get away with it, you won't have to see her everyday... Stay, please"  
"I'm really sorry, Lapis. If I had had the courage to acknowledge my mistake, we would have spent a little more time together before this happened..."  
"I couldn't be here without you, Peri... I can't get used to the idea of not seeing you anymore... Even if we didn't talk to each other, at least I knew you were here"  
Lapis hugged her again, very tightly. She simply couldn't accept it. But she would have to do it. If Peri thought it was best for her, then it was.  
Peridot let her go. They stared at each other for several seconds. Then, Lapis turned her gaze to Peridot's lips... Fuck, it had been a long time without kissing those lips...  
But she can’t. Not under the circumstantial that surrounded them. She broke eye contact and parted a little, heart racing. Shit, she felt so confused...  
"I wish I had listened to you" Peri muttered "So maybe we would still be together"  
Lapis didn't answer, but yes, it was totally true... she wish everything would have been different.  
Suddenly, they saw a tall figure entering through the front door. Yes, it was aunt Xanthe, who held her head high, proud.  
Peridot cringed in fear right there. Lapis stood in front of her and said "Go back to the cafeteria with the girls. I got this"  
"Okat, but ... Be careful... I don't want her to hurt you too"  
"C'mon, I'll reach you in a moment"  
Peridot obeyed and almost ran into the cafeteria. Lapis remained standing in that same place, while still seeing her aunt, who, at any moment, had already reached that point. The woman passed by, but Lapis followed her, saying "You have a lot of courage to come here after the horrible thing you did"  
Oh no, that was Alex, talking without stopping to think. Xanthe stopped and said "You better talk to me with more respect"  
"Respect is earned, you have done horrible things, aunt Xanthe, you don't deserve anyone's respect..."  
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, you fucking lesbian!"  
"Maybe I'm a fucking lesbian, but at least I never hit someone as innocent and pure as Peri"  
"I know that Azura lets you do what you want, but I correct my daughters so they're not insolent like you"  
"What you did is wrong. Mom and aunt Bianca will make you pay for that and for all the time you've mistreated Peri."  
"You don't know anything"  
"No, it's you who doesn't know anything about how to treat others"  
Her aunt took her violently by the her shirt. Lapis didn't flinch at all.  
"Listen to me well, you little bitch, you're nobody to tell me what to do, I hope you disappear from here"  
"Was that what you told aunt Rosa the last time you saw her?"  
Xanthe opened her eyes a lot and threw Lapis against the wall. She was out of breath for a few seconds, and by the time she realized, Xanthe had already left.  
Lapis adjusted her shirt, thinking how good it felt to have said those things to that horrible woman.

* * *

Lapis couldn't stop feeling bad the rest of the day. It was just that she couldn't imagine how everything would be without Peri around. After thinking about it for a long time, she came to the conclusion that Peri was right. She couldn't stay there, in the place where she had suffered so much. No matter how hard she tried, bad memories were always going to attack her. She couldn't force her to stay, that would be very selfish on her part.  
And even then, she felt very bad. She just couldn't get used to the idea that she wouldn't be able to see the blonde every day, and that made her very depressed for the rest of the day.  
"Lapis" Pearl repeated, tapping her shoulder  
"What?" she said, turning to look at her  
"It's the fourth time I've spoken to you"  
Lapis sighed and closed her locker. Fuck, she wouldn't have even heard her if it wasn't because she touched her. She was too worried...  
Classes were over, and Lapis had said goodbye to Peridot a few minutes ago. It had been horrible to say goodbye without knowing if she was going to see her the next day. Peri had said she could leave at any moment... She hoped it wasn't so literal.  
"Lapis, can we talk?" Pearl asked, putting a hand on her shoulder to get her attention  
"Yes, of course" she replied  
Pearl sat on the bench across the hall. She looked a little serious. Oh no, Lapis hoped she hadn't done something silly to hurt her... Well, maybe she had. She was acting like a fool...  
"Is it because I've been distracted all day?" Lapis asked, sitting next to her "I'm so sorry, I'm trying to keep this from worrying me but..."  
"I understand" Pearl said, putting her hand on Lapis'  
"So what do you wanna talk about?"  
Pearl opened her mouth to answer, but in the end she closed it and looked at the floor. Lapis felt a lump in her throat and insisted "What? What's wrong?"  
"I think we should... break up" Pearl said at last  
"What?! Why?!"  
Pearl didn't reply immediately. Lapis felt as if she had been hit directly on the chest. Her eyes filled with tears and she waited for the answer. No, she couldn't go through this again so soon...  
"Listen Lapis, you know that I love you very much, but we could try it for years and we know that it will never be the same for you that be with..."  
"No! No, you're wrong! I... I thought we were fine, I was doing things right..."  
"Of course, Lapis. I don't deny it, but even if you love me, I know you'll never forget Peri"  
"Did I hurt you? Did I make you feel like I didn't love you enough? What did I do wrong?"  
"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just don't want you to realize that you could have done something to get her back, and regret not having done it"  
Lapis ducked her head and wiped tears away with the sleeve of her shirt. Pearl hugged her and said "Don't think I stopped loving you or something like that. You know I love you so much"  
"Then we can keep trying? Please?" Lapis asked  
"Lapis... Do you really wanna keep trying? Peri is about to leave, maybe forever! Why don't you give her a reason to stay? You know she doesn't wanna leave either"  
Lapis said nothing, but let out a sobbing sound a little louder than she would have liked. Pearl hugged her even harder and kissed her on the cheek before saying "I love you Lapis, I want you to be happy, and I know you'll be much happier with her" Pearl murmured.  
"Doesn't this hurt you?" Lapis wanted to know  
"Well... I'm very used to being with you, but fate had other things prepared. I'm fine while you're fine, and you're not gonna be fine if you let her go"  
"What can I do? Nobody wants us to be together anyway"  
"So don't listen to anyone! This sounds silly and of a bad movie, but you need to listen to your heart"  
Lapis lifted her head and kissed Pearl, knowing very well that that was the last kiss.  
"Sorry" Lapis said, not looking directly at her "I know I could've done things better. I really wanted to be with you"  
"I know Lapis, don't apologize, I'm breaking up with you. I'm sorry"  
Lapis smiled a little, but immediately looked back at the floor. She understood Pearl's point, but she couldn't help thinking that she had failed, that she had done everything wrong. Pearl wiped her tears gently and said "Stop being sad, you know what you should do now"  
"We're still be friends, right?" Lapis asked  
"Of course, you silly. I couldn't live without you fucking my life everyday"  
Lapis giggled and this time it was she who hugged Pearl. She cried a little more on her shoulder before saying "You're breaking my heart, you know?"  
"Then go and repair it, Lappy"  
Lapis nodded. Pearl stood up and kissed her forehead, saying "I love you"  
"I love you too" Lapis replied  
Pearl stroked her hair, took her backpack and left with a quick step. Lapis stayed there. Shit... Now what? Pearl hoped that she would go back with Peri, but how? What to do when everyone was going to oppose?  
You need to listen to your heart. Damn, what a stupid phrase...  
"Hey dude!" Amethyst exclaimed cheerfully, approaching her "Have you seen...? No me chingues, are you crying? What happened to you?"  
"Pearl has just break up with me" Lapis replied, wiping her tears away  
"Mierda... I'm so sorry, dude."  
"Did you know that she was gonna do it?"  
"She insinuated it, but I didn't think she would, and what are you gonna do now?"  
"I don't know... What do mexicans do when someone break their hearts?"  
"We listen to Juan Gabriel and we drink! Do you wanna go for some beers?"  
"Sure... I need to let off steam before doing anything else... Who's Juan Gabriel?"  
"It's a fucking joke?! You have a lot to learn, dude"

* * *

After all, going for a few beers with Amethyst hadn't been a bad idea. Lapis had completely relieved herself, she had told the Mexican girl how she felt about Peridot, about Pearl and about everything. Amethyst listened attentively, and then gave her advice. To summarize, she had said "Deja de hacerte pendeja and go tell Peri that you love her!". Okay, that was great advice. Oh, and yes they listened to Juan Gabriel, and although Lapis barely understood a bit of the songs, she did feel the melancholic atmosphere that Mexican music caused.  
At the end of the afternoon, when Lapis finally said goodbye to Amethyst, she was totally determined to do something... The next day, she was going to tell Peri what she really felt. With any luck, Peri would convince her father to stay, at least until they graduated. After that... Well, that would be a problem for Lapis of the future.  
For now, the Lapis of the present had had a very impulsive idea that didn't hesitate a second to carry out.  
It was already night when the girl went to knock on the door of her mother's room, feeling braver than usual.  
"Go ahead, honey" her mother said from inside  
Lapis opened the door enough to see her mother sitting on the bed, computer on her legs and writing something.  
"Mom, I did it again" Lapis announced  
"You did what again?" Azura asked, without looking up from the screen  
Lapis opened the door and entered. Her mother looked at her and took off her glasses to see her better. Lapis shrugged and said "What do you think?"  
The girl had spent the last hour dyeing her hair again. Yes, her messy hair had that dark-blue color again, so similar to her eyes. When she saw herself in the mirror after finishing, she had felt that she was seeing the real Lapis again... Her hair was still short, yes, but when it grew a little more and became a bob again, it would be as if nothing had happened.  
"Will you ask me permission sometime before doing something?" her mother joked  
"Sorry, it was an impulse... Do you like it?" Lapis asked, going to her mom's bed  
"You always look beautiful, honey, but you should be punished for not even telling me"  
"I'll do it next time, I promise"  
Azura gently stroked her hair, arranging it behind her ear.  
"Your aunt Xanthe told me that you were very rude to her today" Azura commented  
"Ah yes... Maybe she wasn't lying. I'm sorry, but I saw her and I couldn't help it!"  
"You have to think things through before you open your mouth. You know that she would love to have an excuse to say how horrible you are"  
"What's gonna happen to her, mommy? They're not gonna let her stay close to Peri, are they?"  
"Well... All right, I'll tell you. Adrien has already filed charges against her"  
"Really?!"  
"Yes. Apparently, Peri confessed many things yesterday after they left, horrible things of all these years, and I can't believe that neither I nor Bianca knew..."  
"And what will happen then?!"  
"Adrien is demanding custody of Pedidot, of course, but he wants Xanthe to pay for everything she did"  
"Is she going to prison?"  
"Well, that's where your aunt Bianca stepped in. She knows that Xanthe did wrong, but after all she's our sister... She's making a deal with Adrien and the lawyers... Adrien will get custody of Peri, and Xanthe would have to pay her a monthly pension. But in addition, she would have to stop working at school because all this child abuse thing. She probably also loses custody of Blaine, I don't know... And she would have to post bail and do community service"  
Oh shit. Lapis felt some pity for her aunt for a few moments, but then she remembered that she had thrown her against the wall that morning and her pity diminished.  
"I think Bianca could convince them that Xanthe didn't have to go to prision, but I find it very difficult to her to be allowed to continue working at the school. I mean, if the parents find out about this... If she did this to her own daughter, what can they expect? And the truth is that I understand them, it's enough to see how she treats you... you are part her family too..."  
"And what would happen to Blaine?"  
"In any case, she would go to live with Bianca"  
Lapis nodded slowly. Oh man, she didn't think she would feel bad about Aunt Xanthe... But she deserved it, right? For how she had treated Peri all those years...  
"Peri commented that maybe she would move to Boston..." Lapis muttered.  
"Oh yes, Adrien told me. Although he said everything depended on how Peri felt. You know how she is, it would take a bit to adapt to a completely new environment. I think it wouldn't do her any good, but... I also think it would help her to get away from here for a while"  
"I don't want her to leave…"  
"What?"  
"I don't want her to leave, mommy"  
Lapis got a hand through her hair, tried to think how to say it, but in the end, the words just came out: "I still love her, and I want to go back with her"  
Her mother looked at her for a few seconds, not understanding. Lapis had a horrible sansation, like a voice telling her she shouldn't say that.  
"But... What about Pearl?" Azura asked  
"Pearl broke up with me today... She told me that I should be with Peri. It hurt me a lot but... I think she's right"  
Azura opened her mouth to answer, but Lapis stepped forward "Someone told me recently... that when you have a connection with someone, it never really goes away. I think it's true... Mom, I didn't plan this, nobody did it. But I fell in love with her from the first moment I saw her. I told you the story, and I know you know I'm not lying. And... and I wanna be with her. And I know you think it's wrong, but... I'm sorry, I'm not gona give up on this. At first, when I found out about this, I felt very guilty... but not anymore. I can't feel guilty for loving someone"  
"I get it…"  
"Mommy, we're not blood related... Don't you think I could...? Do you think you could give me your approval? I... I'm gonna do it anyway. I'm very sorry. It would be much better if I had your approval"  
Azura looked at her and nodded, covering her mouth with one hand. She was very thoughtful for a long time, and Lapis just waited for the answer.  
"I don't know why you should always get into so much trouble" Azura murmured, with a sigh.  
"So... you give me your approval?"  
Her mother sighed, looking at her strangely, even thoughtfully.  
"If she moves in with her dad, she's going to change her last name and all that. And since I'm adopted, there shouldn't be a problem... right?" Lapis insisted  
"Are you sure about what you're saying? I mean... Are you sure about what you feel for her?"  
"Yes! Mom, I would do anything for her... I really love her"  
"It's okay"  
"It's okay?"  
"Yes, it's okay. You'll do it anyway, so... I'd rather you don't lie to me or... you hide things from me. So, it's okay"  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yes, really"  
Lapis giggled and hugged her mother very tight, and covered her face with kisses, while saying "You're the best mom in the world!"  
"Hey, hold on! And what if Peri says no?"  
"Mom! Don't discourage me! Ah... Do you know what her dad thinks of me?"  
"Adrien adores you. I think he even liked the idea when I told him the story"  
"Great! It would be amazing to be able to go out with her without fear of someone hitting me for that!"  
"You'll tell your aunt Bianca, right?"  
"Eh... don't you wanna do that for me?"  
"Not really"  
"Well... First, I hope Peri tells me yes. Then I hope that aunt Bianca doesn't get mad at me"  
"If it helps you, when I explained everything to her, she didn't seem annoying... She was very surprised that she didn't notice before. You know how she is, she thinks she knows everything, and you cheated on her for a long time"  
"Well, that's a bit reassuring... Thanks for the support, mom."  
"Hey, you're the most troublesome girl in this world. But I'm your mom, and I'm always gonna support you, okay?"  
"Thanks..."  
"Now tell me... How do you plan to ask Peri?"  
"Well, it's kinda embarrassing to talk about that with you..."  
"Oh, c'mon, don't be shy. I wanna hear the details of your plan"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, get ready, 'cause next week you'll get the last chapter of this story! :'3  
> Thanks for reading and for your comments!


	37. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I gotta tell you what I'm feelin' inside_   
>  _I could lie to myself, but it's true_   
>  _There's no denying when I look in your eyes_   
>  _Girl I'm out of my head over you_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for the delay, guys!

Lapis felt ready. Readier than in any other situation in her life. After finally talking to her mother, and knowing that this time she had her approval, she was more than willing to get to school and be totally honest with Peridot about her feelings. Maybe the blonde would accept her back. Maybe she would send her to hell. But she had no way of knowing unless she said it. And although it seemed like something very hurried, since it hadn't been 24 hours after her break with Pearl, after spending all night thinking about the matter, she convinced herself that what Pearl had done was precisely for Lapis to act fast. Maybe she would even be upset with her if she didn't declare her love for Peridot soon.  
Okay, maybe when she said she felt ready, she wanted to say that she was ready to do it, but she didn't know what to say, or how. But that was exactly what she wanted. She didn't want to plan a speech or something like that, but rather she wanted to get to Peridot, and tell her everything that came to mind at the time. So, she hoped to sound sincerer, and not just repeat a lot of planned words. She needed her "inner Alex" to speak for her. She needed to talk all the time, and she hoped not to frighten Peridot with so much palaver.  
Lapis felt that things were happening too fast... The whole business of Aunt Xanthe about to lose many things, Peri living with her dad, the end of her relationship with Pearl... It was as if everything insisted that she should go back to Peridot, as if that were the right thing to do. Lapis was beginning to believe that all those stories about destiny were true. It didn't matter if Peri said yes or no, she only wanted the blonde to know what she felt, even if she rejected her... even though she hoped it wouldn't be like that.  
"Are you nervous?" Azura asked suddenly, as they were on their way to school that morning  
Lapis shrugged. She wasn't nervous, but she had spent it thinking about what she was going to do if Peridot said no. Well... she expected not to cry or something like that. But it was very difficult for her to think about not reacting like that, since, if Peri said no, that would mean that she would leave... And that was going to be too hard for Lapis.  
"Listen Lapis, whatever happens, you must respect what she decides" Azura said, stopping at a traffic light "If she decides to leave... Well, I know it won't be easy. But hey, you can visit her"  
"Yes, thank you mom" Lapis replied "And I will... I don't wanna pressure her... Although I would love her to stay..."  
"I know honey. Just don't pressure her, okay? "  
"I won't do it"  
Her mother smiled at her, and Lapis felt a little surer. She took a deep breath, and her mother tried to calm her by combing her blue hair with her fingers, saying "You may have combed your hair at least for this occasion"  
"I promise that I'll do it for... for graduation or something"  
"I hope you'll comply, miss"  
"Hey mommy... Thanks again"  
"Why? For Peri?"  
"For all. For Peri, for forgiving me when I do foolish things... For loving me despite how I am. I know that sometimes I make many mistakes, but I try to be a good daughter, 'cause you are the best mom in the world"  
Azura smiled and hugged Lapis, kissed her on the cheek and said "You already are the best daughter, my little Lappy. I'm very proud of you"  
Lapis gave a nervous giggle and removed her seatbelt, so she could hug her mother. She had had that feeling many times during those nine years. The feeling of gratitude towards her mother, for all the love she had received from her. Who knows what would have been Lapis if not for Azura. She knew it very well.  
The hug would have lasted much longer, but the cars behind began to sound the horn. The light had already changed to green.  
"These people don't know how to be patient" commented her mother  
"It will be 'cause they're late to their jobs or school... like us"  
"It's not too late... besides, we're already close"  
"I'll remember this the next time aunt Bianca tells me 'Late again, Lapis? Didn't your mother educate you?'"  
"Did she tell you that?"  
"Nop, but just in case, I already have the answer"  
Her mother giggled. They arrived at the school just a few minutes before the bell rang, and Lapis ran to her locker. She got an unpleasant surprise when she saw that Peridot wasn't in hers. But c'mon, it was already late, maybe she was already in the classroom or something. Lapis took the things she needed from her locker and walked to the classroom. She wondered why everyone looked at her so surprised, until she remembered that her hair was blue again.  
Before entering the classroom, she caught a glimpse of Pearl in the distance, going to her own class. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds, and Lapis waved at her, but Pearl looked at the floor and kept walking. Lapis stood there, watching the girl disappear. What…? But she had said they would still be friends! Oh, sure... She could not be so naive, it was obvious that Pearl was hurt by everything, right? Lapis felt a little guilty, but anyway, what could she do? After all, it was Pearl who broke up with her. But even knowing this, she couldn't help it hurt to see that Pearl was going to ignore her...  
But the harder blow was to enter the classroom and see that Peridot wasn't there. Her chair in the front of the classroom was empty... Well, nothing happens, maybe she was a little late, right? Nothing else ... Nothing serious could be happening, she was being paranoid.

* * *

No, Peridot didn't appear in the whole class. Lapis began to really worry when she went to her locker and saw that Peri wasn't there... I mean, she could've arrived by the second hour, right? But no... She hadn't gone to school...  
_"It could be any day"_  
C'mon, it couldn't be happening, right? If Peri had left, she would have said goodbye to her before, right?  
Yes... Nothing happened... Maybe she would appear for the second hour. Yes, that was all. Peri would arrive at the second hour and she could declare her love in the recess, maybe it would take her to the tree where they spent so much time together...  
She took out her cell phone, hoping to see her online. But no, Peri's last connection had been the night before. Well, that didn't say much, since Peri never talked to anyone but the gems, but still...  
Maybe Amethyst knew something, after all, Peri and she were very close. If Peri was gone ( _'Don't be an idiot, she didn't leave'_ ), Amethyst would know.  
Great, now she had only to find Amethyst... But no, the one she saw again was Pearl. From a distance, among the crowd of students who went to her classes.  
"Pearl!" Lapis exclaimed "Hey Pearl!"  
The girl turned, and Lapis signaled her to come closer, but Pearl shook her head and pointed to her watch, to make her understand that she was late. Lapis only looked at her until she lost her sight again. Well... maybe she deserved it, right? Pearl had reasons to ignore her. Even to hate her if she wanted to. But she couldn't help feeling hurt. Right now, she needed someone... Although of course, maybe her ex wasn't going to be the one to help her back with her other ex.  
The bell rang. What should she do? Go to class or look for Amethyst? She ran a hand through her hair, sighed and forced herself to go to class. She was recovering her good grades, and couldn't afford to miss a class... Even though she knew it would be hard to concentrate on the lesson.

* * *

At the end of the second hour, Lapis ran from one place to another, looking for any sign of Peri or Amethyst, but suddenly it seemed that all the people she knew were gone. She didn't see any of the Crystal Gems, or Aquamarine or Topaz... Fuck, not even Blaine or Jasper! Did everyone around the world avoid her? Why had she never realized how big the school was?!  
She began to feel very desperate... Peri never missed school, this was coincidence? 'Cause no, it simply wasn't possible that she had left without telling her anything... Or did she leave that way so as not to have to go through a farewell?  
Lapis felt her was going to start crying at any moment, but she tried to calm herself. She was very sensitive, she saw things that weren't true. Surely Peri was sick or something...  
She felt that she had turned around the whole school, when it occurred to her to search the gym. It was still a place she avoided altogether to avoid meeting Jasper, but now it was a critical situation.  
She was relieved to open the door and see Amethyst. She was training. In fact, she was doing a gut wrench to her opponent, while others shouted to encourage them.  
"Amethyst!" Lapis exclaimed, running towards her  
"Hey dude!" the Mexican greeted, without letting go of the boy with whom she was practicing "Nice hair"  
"Ms. Diamond, I have to ask you to leave" the coach said, "We're in training."  
"Just a second" Lapis asked "Ame, do you know where Peri is?"  
"Peri?" Amethyst repeated, while the boy took advantage of his opponent's distraction to free himself "She told me that her bus left at 11, I guess she's still at home"  
"What?!"  
"Miss, get out of here!" the coach ordered her  
"Go away Lapis, I'm kinda busy now" Amethyst said, trying to regain control.  
Lapis ran out of there, heart racing. Oh shit, shit... She knew it! Something strange was happening!!! Peri wasn't there, Peri...  
She pulled out her cell phone and tried to call her, but the line was cut off. Shit! What could she do?! She couldn't let Peri go! She started sending messages to her, but she didn't respond. Lapis began to panic. No, it's that Peri couldn't do that! She couldn't leave without saying goodbye!  
Maybe if she managed to get to the bus station, she could stop her... Or at least say goodbye after confessing what she felt... C'mon, things couldn't end just like that!  
She didn't care about anything. She put the cell phone in her pocket and ran to the front door. What was the plan? She didn't know. She could take a taxi to the bus station. She could run in case she didn't find a taxi. She didn't care, she felt a lot of pent-up energy that demanded that she do something.  
She reached out to open the door, when she felt a tug on the back of her flannel that stopped her suddenly. She didn't even need to turn around to see who was going to stop her from escaping...  
"Where do you think you're going?!" Agate exclaimed  
"Let me go!" Lapis demanded, trying to escape  
"You're in class time, you can't leave here"  
"Fine! I'll go to my class, let me go!"  
"Sure! I already know your tricks, Alex. I let you 'go to class', and you'll try run away again, right? What do you think if I take you to detention until recess? That would work better"  
"No... No! Leave me alone! I have to go!"  
"You're gonna do what I tell you!"  
"No! Please leave me alone!"  
Agate slapped her, so hard that she got Lapis to close her mouth and only let out small sobs. Yes, as when she was a child.  
"That's better" the woman said "Now, you're gonna be a good girl and you're gonna accompany me to detention room"  
The girl had no choice but to let the woman practically sweep her to detention, while she let the tears run down her cheeks as she watched herself move away from the door.  
She wasn't going to make it. Peri was going to leave, and she wasn't going to be able to personally tell her how she felt about her.

* * *

The only reason why Lapis hadn't spent all the time crying was because Agate warned her that if she heard her sob again, she was going to beat her up.  
That wasn't fair! She need not have taken her to detention! She just had to take her to class and that's it! But no! Instead, she had lost above an hour locked in that room with Agate, who was reading a book to distract herself. Lapis didn't speak, nor did she get up. Neither moved, in fact. She didn't want to provoke her, her cheek still hurt from the slap. Besides, she was very afraid of that woman. Lapis would tremble just to imagine getting up and for the woman to force her to stay. No matter how confident Lapis was, she felt like a 6-year-old every time she was in front of Agate.  
She would like to be a little braver. If she wasn't afraid of Agate, maybe she could've escaped. Now, she was going to miss the opportunity to talk to Peri just for not daring to protest the injustice that Agate was committing. She had to stop thinking about that, or she was going to start crying, and Agate was going to hit her or something...  
But she just couldn't help it! It was obvious that if Peri went away, she could visit her a couple of times a year, so she wouldn't stop seeing her... But it was very different to see her that way to see her every day. What would she do when her lips asked for a kiss from Peri? When her arms demanded to give her a hug? When the words of love accumulated in her throat, and there was no one to hear them? What would she do then?  
Someone knocked on the door, causing Lapis to be startled. Agate closed the book. The knocks intensified, as if the life of the person on the other side depended on their opening the door.  
"What?" Agate asked, opening the door  
"Some guys are fighting outside the gym!" a familiar voice exclaimed, panting "One of them has a pocket knife!"  
"What are you saying?"  
"You have to stop them!"  
Lapis watched how Agate disappeared almost running. Lapis looked at the open door for several seconds, not understanding anything, until someone entered.  
"What are you doing, idiot?" Pearl said, smiling "C'mon!"  
"Pearl...? What...?!" Lapis began to say  
"Run! She won't take long to realize that I lied to her!"  
"But how…?"  
"Lapis, c'mon! I'll explain later"  
Lapis finally understood what was happening, jumped up and went to Pearl, who immediately started running. Lapis went after her, unable to believe that Pearl... Pearl! That Pearl was breaking the rules to help her escape.  
"I thought you hated me!" she exclaimed, without stopping  
"I don't hate you, dork" Pearl replied, going around a corner  
"Then why did you ignore me?"  
"I don't know, I just... Ah, run and don't ask questions!"  
"What are we gonna do?"  
"It's obvious! We're gonna stop Peri"  
"How do you know about that?"  
"Amethyst told me she told you about the bus at 11 o'clock or something... Then I saw that Agate was taking you to detention, I assumed you had a plan"  
"If I had a plan I wouldn't have been caught"  
"Anyway, now I'm here, and I do have a plan"  
Pearl took the keys to Greg's van out of her pocket. Lapis gave a giggle of joy. They could do it, she had half an hour before the bus left. They were ready to get to the front door. Once again, Lapis felt the triumph...  
And then she fell, hitting the lockers. She looked up after recovering from the blow, and saw Agate, furious. Oh, no, please...  
"I must admit that you managed to fool me, stupid girl" the woman said, taking her by flannel and raising her very easily, since Lapis was so terrified that she didn't even move "But you have to understand something. I don't care if you think you have the right to do whatever you want to, it's not like that!"  
Agate cornered her against the wall. Lapis didn't have her feet on the floor, Agate was holding her with one hand. With the other, she was ready to punch her. Oh shit, she sure had wanted to do that for years! Lapis closed her eyes, preparing to receive the blow, when Agate droped her. Lapis fell to the floor again and looked up. Pearl had thrown herself at the woman to keep from hitting her. Of course, Agate soon took off the thin girl, throwing her against the wall on the other side of the hallway. Before Lapis could do anything, the woman was lifting her up again, this time pulling her hair, and throwing her on a bench. Lapis hit her ribs in the edge of the bench when she fell, which caused a sharp pain that kept her on the floor for a couple of seconds, enough for Agate to come and kick her in the stomach. Lapis wanted to scream, but she had run out of air.  
"You don't know how fed up I am with you" Agate said, going slowly behind her, while Lapis tried to crawl away "You bastard... I don't know how someone can stand you near! Now you'll see what I'm capable of, Alex!"  
Alex... Alex wouldn't have wished that her "future me" were still afraid of Agate after all this time. Alex used to fantasize about being someone who wasn't afraid of anything... And she was close to being it, if not for that horrible woman. But... But she didn't have to fear her anymore...  
The girl wiped her tears with the sleeve of her flanned stood up slowly and looked at Agate, who seemed more than willing to kill her.  
"My name's Lapis" she replied "I'm a Diamond. And... and I'm not afraid of you anymore"  
"Oh, really?" Agate said, laughing. "I'll make you afraid..."  
Before either of them could do anything, Pearl came quickly to Agate from behind, and he caught her in a trash can. Once again, Lapis reacted to what had just happened, ran to Agate, and pushed her with all her might. The woman fell on her back, inside the trash can. Lapis could almost have stayed there to laugh, if not for Pearl took her wrist and forced her to run, before the woman stood up again.  
And this time, Lapis finally managed to get out of school. As soon as she was outside, she started to laugh. A loud and hysterical laughter, full of snorts. At any other time, she would have felt embarrassed to laugh like that. Pearl also began to laugh, while both ran to the van.  
Not even two minutes passed, when Pearl was already driving at full speed off the school grounds.  
"Shit!" Lapis exclaimed, when at last she stopped laughing "Pearl, that was fantastic! Oh my god, I was so afraid!"  
"Me too! I thought she was gonna kill you!" Pearl said, laughing but with tears in her eyes  
"She would've done it if it weren't for you! Fuck! You're the best!"  
"You're the best, Lapis! You should've seen her when you said _'I'm not afraid of you anymore'_. Wow! That was epic, you should've seen _your_ face. At that moment, she was afraid of you! Are you okay? That blow on the bench..."  
"It hurts a little, but it's okay... How soon will we arrive?"  
"If the cops don't stop us, we'll arrive on time"  
Lapis sighed. She couldn't say she was relaxed, 'cause she was afraid. Afraid they were going to fucking crash. Pearl was driving so fast! Lapis felt the adrenaline rush through her veins. She wanted to keep laughing like crazy, and she would have done it if it had'nt been because she suddenly saw black smoke coming out of the bonnet.  
"Is that normal?!" she exclaimed.  
"Damn! I told Greg that this junk was gonna break down at any moment!" Pearl replied  
"Pearl!"  
"We can achieve it, you'll see!"  
"Not if we burn down!"  
"We won't do it!"  
There was a loud crack, and the black smoke became even more dense.  
"Pearl!"  
"I lost control!"  
"What?!"  
"Hold on!"  
Pearl turned the wheel and started to apply the hand brake. Lapis preferred to close her eyes and resist the urge to scream. Pearl, on the other hand, screamed. The van took several turns, or at least that was what Lapis felt, until finally it stopped. Many car horns and brake sounds are heard. Lapis opened her eyes, breathing raggedly. Oh, shit, they were alive!  
"Hey! Are you crazy or what the fuck is going on with you?! I almost crashed with you!" a voice from the driver's side said  
Lapis turned and saw a pink-haired girl riding a motorcycle. She seemed more scared than angry.  
"Sorry, I ran out of brakes" Pearl apologized, trying to control her breathing.  
"Why the hell were you going at that speed in this junk? It's fortunate that the engine didn't explode or something! Frankly…"  
"Hey!" Lapis interrupted, bending over Pearl to talk to the girl "I'll give you 20 bucks if you take us to the bus station and help us push the van out of the way"  
"What? Twenty?"  
"I'll give you 50! C'mon!"  
"I... Sure, yes. I was gonna do it for 20..."  
"I'll give you 50, I don't care, c'mon!"  
Lapis got out of the van, while the girl parked her motorcycle.  
Then, she, Lapis and Pearl pushed the van, or what was left of it, until it was out of the way. Smoke still came from the engine. Fuck, Lapis would have to buy Greg a new van for this...  
"You two are completely crazy" the girl with the pink hair said. She was quite tall. Without her, Pearl and Lapis could never have moved the van  
"You came at the same speed as us!" Pearl exclaimed  
"Hey, that speed on a motorcycle is not the same as on an old van!"  
"Can we discuss this later?" Lapis asked, "We have to get to the bus station!"  
"Sure, you dork. Nice hair color"  
"Same"  
The girl got on the motorcycle, followed by Pearl, and Lapis at the end.  
"I only have one helmet" the girl said, taking it off to give it to Pearl "Here it seems you're the one who could need it"  
"Thank you, I guess..." Pearl replied, who stared at the girl's green eyes like an idiot. Lapis may have laughed, but it wasn't the time.  
"I'm Sheena, by the way" she introduced herself, turning on the motorcycle engine  
"I'm Lapis, and she's Pearl" Lapis replied, seeing that Pearl seemed hypnotized, 'cause she was putting on her helmet without taking her eyes off the pink haired girl.  
"You'd better hold on, although I don't think you're afraid of speed"  
"Hold me? Where?" Pearl asked. Then, Sheena accelerated at full speed. Pearl screamed, and immediately clung to the girl's waist.  
Okay, if the trip in the van had been scary, that hadn't been anything compared to this. Sheena got in between the cars and took the turns in a way that Lapis was frankly surprised that she could control that two-wheeled beast. But anyway, it was very effective. With the van, they had never been able to move so fast.  
Really, she was hoping that the van was okay, and that it wasn't burning or something.  
Finally, they arrived at the bus station. Lapis jumped down from the motorcycle, pulled out 50 from her old worn wallet and handed it to Sheena, saying "Thanks. You're so fucking crazy, dude... But that was fun"  
"Wow, I thought you was joking about the 50" the girl said, taking the money  
"You thought I was lying?"  
"Yes. But I wasn't gonna do it for free"  
"And how did you want us to pay you?"  
Sheena laughed and glanced at Pearl, who had just got off the bike, shaking, and taking off the helmet"  
"Well... I hope she's not your girlfriend" Sheena answered softly  
Lapis felt a hint of jealousy, but still answered "No... You can talk to her if she wants, I'll go alone in there... But listen: if you do something bad to her, I'll destroy you"  
"Don't worry, Blue. If she agrees to go out with me, rest assured that your 50 bucks will be well spent"  
"Okay... Thanks, Pink"  
Pearl approached Lapis, with a nervous smile, saying "We did it"  
"I couldn't have done it without you" Lapis replied, hugging her "Thank you, P. Thank you for everything. And... and sorry if I hurt you"  
"Hey" Pearl came over and kissed her on the cheek. Then, as was customary among them, she began to sing in a low voice " _You have found her, now go and get her... Remember to let her into your heart... Then you can start to make it better_ "  
"Pearl..."  
"This is what friends do, isn't it? Now, go for her!"  
"P, you're the best"  
"I know. C'mon! Don't waste your time!"  
"Will you be fine here with Pink?"  
Pearl looked at Sheena sideways, and immediately blushed. Lapis guessed that Pearl would accept that date Sheena had mentioned.  
"I'll be fine" Pearl said  
"Yes, I notice it" Lapis mocked  
"What do you mean with that?"  
"I'll see you later P, if you're still here!"  
Lapis entered the bus station and began searching through the waiting rooms. C'mon, there were still a couple of minutes... She could still be there... Oh no... And if she had arrived too late? What she was going to do?! Everything would have been useless... She went running, searching among the people waiting, or among those who got on buses. Please, she had to stay there...  
"Peri!" she exclaimed, as her heart skipped a beat when she saw a blond mane  
Almost shouted with joy to see that person raised her face... Yes! It was her! Oh, damn it...! Lapis ran towards her. Peri stood up, surprised, and didn't have time to say anything before Lapis arrived and hugged her very, very tigh.  
"Peridot! Oh my god, you're here!" Lapis exclaimed, without letting her go  
"Lapis? What are you doing here? You... your hair's blue again!"  
"Yes! Yes, it is... Peri, I have to tell you something... "  
"I... Tell me, of course"  
"Peri... Were you...? Were you gonna leave without telling me? "  
"What? Lapis... "  
"Forget it, listen... Peri, I know... maybe I'm not the person you deserve. I was wrong many times, I did bad things, I hid the truth... But I've never meant to hurt you, I thought I was protecting you! I know I should've been honest with you and... and I'm sorry. I want you to know that I'm very sorry, and that if I could do everything from the beginning, I would do it well. Without lies. And if you still wanna be with me... That... That would be incredible"  
"Oh, Lapis..."  
"Despite everything that has happened, I finally realize what I really want. And I wanna be with you, although the whole world opposes. I wanna have you by my side and help you in everything you need. You don't have to be alone, I wanna be there, giving you a hand to support you to do everything you propose. I know you don't wanna stay here, but I beg you to consider it, 'cause I can't be without you. I don't wanna be without you, okay? What I feel now is worse than what I felt when you broke up with me... It was like... one day I was in heaven, and suddenly I was left in nothingness. I really felt that I was short of breath, I was like... like a fucking zombie, with a heart full of love without owner, without... without you. I don't wanna feel that way again, Peri. I would like you to forgive me, and please stay with me. I... I think I'm not as strong as everyone thinks. I think you're much stronger than me"  
By this time, both were crying. Several people around were attentive to the conversation. Lapis was sure that at least one person was recording a video. It didn't matter. Let everyone know that she was very much in love with Peridot! She wanted everyone to know it!  
"I know why you wanna leave, I can see it. I know something here wouldn't let you be happy. But listen, although life is not a fairytale and it seems very dark sometimes, I want you to know that I wanna be there to guide you in the middle of all this darkness. I know that everything that happened in these last days was horrible, I''m really sorry, I'm sorry that you had to go through all this. But I don't want you to lose all confidence... Even though you feel that the light went out, I want you to know that I'm still here with you, and I won't leave you. If you feel defeated, I'll give myself completely to you to try to make you happy again. I won't let you give up. I wanna show you that things can improve. I wanna be the person that helps you get up, and if I can't, I'm gonna fall with you. But I'm never gonna leave you alone, ever. Don't be afraid, I'll always be by your side"  
Lapis noticed that the two of them weren't the only ones crying. At least a couple of other girls in their audience were also crying. And boy, now it wasn't just one, but several cameras that were recording the scene.  
"You changed my life Peri, you really did it. I think I never knew how much I could get to love a person until I met you. I always considered myself a happy person, but then you came and showed me that there's no limit to happiness. I guess that's why I collapsed completely when we broke up... Then I really knew what it was like to be depressed. But listen, in spite of everything, if I had to choose, I would choose you, with everything and pain. All that will be worth it if you accept me in your life again"  
Peridot threw herself into Lapis' arms again, threw her arms around her neck and kissed her. Lapis kissed her back, of course. Oh, god... how much time had passed since she last kissed her? She didn't know, but... But woah! She felt an electrical current running through her body. It was as if every part of her was thanking her for it. She needed that kiss, she needed it more than she had thought, even if she didn't realize before. Fuck, if it wasn't magical enough, the people around began to applaud. Lapis was an expert in giving public shows, right? But it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that Peri was with her... In that moment and forever.  
"I love you, Lapis" Peridot whispered between sobs, when they paused the kiss  
"I love you too, Peri. I don't wanna fail you again, I'm gonna give everything of myself this time "  
"I know... I don't wanna fail you either. I'm so sorry for all the damage I did to you. I was scared, but... I know that being with you I have nothing to fear. You... you're great Lapis. You're crazy, but you're great"  
Lapis chuckled. People began to disperse after seeing that things had gone well between them.  
"How did you get here?" Peri asked  
"Oh, dear god... it's a long story... Let's just say I'm lucky to stay alive"  
"Lapis, you're crazy! Did you escape from school? "  
"Yes... maybe. But... Well, it doesn't matter. I even have a song for this... _In spite of all the danger... in spite of all that may be... I'll do anything for you, anything you want me to... if you'll be true to me_ "  
"Lapis, you're the best thing that ever happened to me"  
"Are you gonna stay? Peri... Stay with me, please"  
"Umm... Lapis... I wasn't gonna leave"  
"What!"  
"I wasn't gonna leave. I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to you! Do you think I would be capable of that?"  
"But... What are you doing here then?!"  
"Ah, dad and I'll go to Ocean Town, to start all the paperwork and that to change my last name"  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yes. In fact, the bus is delayed, dad went to buy breakfast while, that's why I'm still here..."  
"Don't fuck with me!"  
"How did you know I was here?"  
"Amethyst"  
"Amethyst knew I was going to Ocean Town! Didn't she tell you?"  
"I think I didn't let her finish the sentence... Ah! I'm an idiot!"  
"Hey, I think it's cute that you did all this 'cause you thought I was leave... But yes, you're a bit idiot"  
"I'm gonna kill Amethyst..."  
Peridot laughed. Lapis kissed her on the forehead and said "Okay, okay... Peri... do you wanna be my girlfriend again?"  
Peri smiled and looked at her without saying anything for a few seconds. Lapis cleared her throat and added "I asked mom's permission this time"  
"Of course! I wanna be your girlfriend, you clod"  
Lapis kissed her again. She had a very strange feeling. She was very happy, but at the same time she felt an uncontrollable desire to cry. She loved Peri so much that it hurt. And to feel that they could finally be together... well, it was almost impossible to believe.  
"Your dad has no problem with this... right?" Lapis asked, worried  
"Are you kidding? My dad adores you! Aunt Azura told him about us... actually he was happy. He likes you very much... I told him about you too and... And I think he'll be happy to know that... well, this. And even if he didn't agree, I would take the risk. I would like to reward you someday for all you did for me"  
"Well... you do it every moment. Simply with existing"  
Peri gave her a quick kiss again, Lapis smiled at her. Well, this was something she was going to get used to again.  
"You know something Lapis... I never really thanked you... for what you did for me"  
"What do you mean?"  
"To everything... You know everything that happened to me... That everyone ignored me or believed I was an idiot or... well, all that. And suddenly you came, and you made me feel important. Nobody had ever told me I was funny, or pretty. Nobody had ever defended me. I never felt like it mattered to anyone. You showed me that side of life, and... well, thank you"  
"You don't have to thank Peri. I don't make you feel special. You're already special, you just needed someone to tell you. And I won't let you forget it, my little gremlin "  
Now it was Lapis who gently took Peri's chin and kissed her slowly. Maybe she had already quit beer and cigarettes, but Peri's kisses were the only addiction in which she was ready to fall again.  
"Blue is still your favorite color?" Lapis asked  
"Of course, my Lappy"  
Lapis gave her another kiss on the forehead and hugged her. At that moment, Mr. Voss appeared, carrying some bags in his hands. He stopped when he saw the scene and said "Lapis? What are you doing here?"  
Peri gave a nervous laugh and Lapis replied "Hi Mr. Voss... well, it's a long story..."

* * *

Although everything seemed to be a disaster on that day, the truth is that in the end everything went quite well for everyone.  
Peridot and her dad went to Ocean Town, and after several paperwork that did take some time, Peri was finally able to change her last name and remove the name she hated so much. Now she was Peridot Voss. She and her dad had decided to stay in the city. After all, her dad had enough money to start a new life with her there. Peri was very, very happy to finally have an adult who really listened to her and cared about her. And of course, Mr. Voss was very proud of his daughter. He had already introduced her to several of his colleagues, and Peri had already received several offers to enter various universities throughout the country. Peri was finally living safely and peacefully, without being afraid that someone would mistreat her.  
Lapis and Pearl had to pay for having escaped from school and having committed several traffic infractions. They had a report in their permanent file, and they had to spend a week in detention. Besides, of course, Lapis had to take responsibility for repairing Greg's van, which nevertheless survived the little adventure.  
But not everything was wrong. When they returned to school, and after Azura and Bianca gave them the worst scolding of their lives, Lapis and Pearl began to explain what happened, and when they reached the part where Agate attacked Lapis, the Diamond sisters immediately watched the recordings of the security cameras. The result was a very indignant Azura, worried and crying, an angry Bianca, and a Lapis with a huge bruise in the ribs that hadn't felt before for all the adrenaline. That day, her mother didn't leave her alone for a moment, and everything was a _"I'm so sorry, honey! Are you sure you are alright?"_. And how did the matter end? Agate was fired immediately. Azura resumed the charges against her, and when more students began to testify against her, the trial dragged on. Lapis was sure that they would find her guilty; what remained to be seen was what the sentence would be. Lapis didn't feel bad for her. After all, she had made her suffer for many years. At last she could go to school without being afraid to meet that woman! So, her little adventure had been worth it.  
Oh, but it was also worth it for Pearl. It turned out that while Lapis entered the station to make her scene with Peri, Pearl had been chatting with Sheena. The pink haired girl had invited Pearl out, and she had of course accepted. They had been dating for a few weeks now. Sheena was going to pick up Pearl at school every day on her motorcycle, and Pearl was so in love with her that she didn't talk about anything else. Lapis even asked her to shut up as a joke, to which Amethys replied with a _"Are you jealous, Laz? C'mon, you already have your gremlin"_. The truth was that Lapis wasn't jealous, on the contrary, she was very happy for Pearl. In addition, she liked Sheena, since she had a personality very similar to hers, and for that reason, she knew that Pearl was going to be okay with her.  
Oh, and that same day, Amethyst was finally able to beat Jasper in the training. The mexican girl bragged about that for days.  
As for aunt Xanthe... Well, things didn't end well for her, but not as bad as Lapis expected. She had lost custody of Peridot and Blaine, who now lived with aunt Bianca (and by the way, her attitude had improved a lot). In addition, she had had to pay bail of several thousand dollars not to go to jail, but she did not get rid of community service, so there were days when she could be seen picking up trash under the bridges. She hadn't been forbidden to continue working in schools, but the parents of the students of Diamond College were reluctant to let her continue to be the vice principal. Aunt Bianca had assigned her to be the librarian, which she hated, but hey, she had no right to complain. Also, it was the best. So, she hadn't ended up ruined, but at least Lapis and Peri could avoid her by not entering the library. Although anyway, almost nobody entered the library.  
And well, as for Lapis and Peri... Damn, Lapis still wondered how she could spend so much time away from Peridot. Now that they were together again, she felt like... as if she had been reborn. As if she had recovered that part of her life that she had lacked. At first, she thought that maybe the first days would be something strange, while everyone around, and they themselves, got used to this again... But it wasn't like that. It was quite normal for everyone. Yes, that's right, everyone was waiting for them to come back, so to tell the truth, nobody was surprised. Garnet seemed very happy for them, more than anyone, which for Lapis wasn't unusual. But hey, the fact was that now that they were back together, Lapis realized that Peri had really come to light every part of her life, and that there was no one else she wanted to be with.  
“ _I see my future when I look in your eyes… It took your love to make my heart come alive… 'Cause I lived my life believing all love is blind… But everything about you is telling me this time_ ”  
Peridot smiled at her. Fuck, Lapis couldn't help but feel a little nervous when she sang for Peri. Yep, she had sung in front of many more people, but only the little blond girl made her nervous that way.  
“ _It's forever… This time I know and there's no doubt in my mind… Forever… Until my life is through, girl I'll be loving you forever_ ”  
Lapis finished playing the song. She smiled and shrugged, leaving the guitar to one side. Peri jumped on her, throwing her in the sand, and kissed her. Then she tried to pause the kiss, but Lapis buried one of her hands in Peri's blond hair and made the kiss last a little longer. In the end, Peri lay down on the sand beside her, and they both stood for a moment in silence, looking at the evening sky and listening to the sound of the waves.  
"Did I ever mention to you how much I like you to sing for me?" Peri asked suddenly.  
"I think you mentioned it a couple of times" Lapis answered "I sing horrible, I don't know why do you like it..."  
"You don't sing horrible! Your voice is beautiful, and it is also beautiful that you blush when you sing"  
Lapis giggled nervously. She saw Peri, who had her eyes closed. The wounds on her face had already disappeared, though they took a little longer than normal, perhaps due to Peri's delicate skin. But now, it was back to milk-white, sprinkled with freckles. She saw her blonde hair full of sand, product of having been with her on the beach all afternoon. She saw her long lashes behind her glasses. And finally, she saw her thin lips... Even after all that time, Lapis couldn't stop her heart from accelerating when she saw Peri. Damn, she was so in love with her, and she couldn't help feeling like the luckiest girl in the world for having such a pretty girlfriend... After all this time, she still didn't explain that no one had ever noticed how beautiful Peri was. But she was fine, she couldn't complain, although it still seemed that everyone must have been blind, the advantage was that Peri was all hers now.  
Lapis kissed her slowly. Peri returned the kiss, with a giggle.  
"I love you" Lapis said, stroking the girl's hair  
"I love you too, Lappy"  
Peri hugged her. Lapis breathed deeply and smiled, watching at sunset. It was incredible that she had gone through so many things... Not only the last times, but her whole life. And if in the end her reward was to be with Peridot... fuck, it was all worth it!  
Lapis kissed her on the cheek, then pressed her cheek against Peri's hair. She knew very well that in a few more months, they would have to be separated for a while, since they would have to go to university. Maybe they wouldn't be able to see each other as much as they would like, and it was going to be hard, but c'mon, if they had already survived so many tests, they could survive that.  
But hey, there was still some time for that. And meanwhile, Lapis was going to focus totally on fulfilling her promise to remind Peri that she was special. Everyday.  
And why not? Let her know how special she made her feel.  
"Thank you, Lapis" Peri murmured, hugging her a little harder  
Lapis didn't answer anything. She wanted to tell her that she was grateful, 'cause she had shown her how happy she can be, how a simple smile could improve her whole world, and that she loved her so much that she would be willing to give her whole life for her.  
But she didn't tell her. She'd prefer to prove it with actions. After all, they had a long way to go together, there would be time to let her know all that in a thousand different ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so... the end of our adventure came. Thank you very much for joining me during all these chapters! I'm very grateful to all of you! And who knows, there could be more to this story in the future...  
> But in the meantime, in case you haven't seen it, [here's my new fanfic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14063787/chapters/32398572) :3 Please, give it a chance, you won't regret it xD  
> Thank you so much, guys! :'3


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